


Beginning to End

by RimiRee



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-08 16:01:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 26,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12868059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RimiRee/pseuds/RimiRee
Summary: Everyone's told their side of the story to how they spent their last years with the Chosen King, but now it was your turn. Takes place before, during, and after the events of FFXV.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story that was highly successful on Tumblr when I wrote it and I hope you all will enjoy it also!

Part One: The Beginning

 

         **_How did I meet him?_**

         When the name Noctis Lucis Caelum rolled off the tongues of people in your high school, they thought of the crown prince of Lucis. They pictured a sophisticated prince who kept to himself throughout most of the school days despite his blond freckled friend, Prompto, constantly following him around. They imagined a prince who was focused on his school work entirely during the day and in the evening, go home to the Citadel to discuss princely duties. When the name Noctis Lucis Caelum was heard, girls swooned (even some guys) and guys secretly shook in fear over the thought of how powerful the prince and his family were. They were, indeed, the ones who kept all of Insomnia safe from the daemons who lurked beyond the walls. They saw a handsome face, royalty, and an honorable young man.

         However, you? When you heard the name Noctis Lucis Caelum, you immediately look over to your best friend, Prompto, and think of ways on how to annoy His Highness that day. Whether it be disturbing him from his daily mid-school day nap that he always took during lunch time or stealing his pencils from the one class you all shared and watch him struggle asking the other classmates for a pencil. When you heard the name Noctis Lucis Caelum, you associated him with the reason why you didn’t have any other friends in high school besides him and Prompto. Everyone else was afraid to approach you because you were the prince’s best friend. And somehow being the prince’s best friend meant that you thought you were above others. Of course, you didn’t have this mindset that has been projected on you since your freshman year of high school. To you, you were just another commoner who happened to be best friends with a prince because his title didn’t scare you. Anymore that is…

         You met Noctis in freshman year when you literally tripped over the sleeping prince under a tree in the schoolyard during lunch break. You panicked immediately when you saw you somehow managed to give him a bloody nose. You panicked even more when you saw he didn’t wake up from the incident and concluded you killed the prince of Lucis. The future of Lucis was going to be a disaster now because you killed the only heir to the throne. Why couldn’t Regis have more than one child? Why were you so unlucky to have killed the prince? Not knowing what to do, you hesitantly grabbed his hand to check his pulse just to be sure if he really was dead or not.

         “Hey, what are you – IS HE BLEEDING?!” The high-pitched voice of a boy still going through puberty rang throughout your ears.

         “Gods, Prompto, can you shut up for a second,” The prince opened one of his eyes and came face to face with you holding his hand. Immediately, you threw his hand to the side and stood up and did a full 90-degree bow.

         “I’m so sorry, your highness! I didn’t mean to trip over you and wake you up and-“

         “NOCT, YOU’RE BLEEDING!” The one named Prompto pointed to the bloodied nose of the prince. Noctis arched his brow before reaching for his nose to see for himself. He pulled his hand back to see his fingers covered in his blood before turning to you. You just knew this was the end of you. Making the prince bleed? The mysterious, sort of scary, prince bleed? He was surely going to kick you and your family out of Insomnia and go live in the outskirts of the city and fend of daemons for the rest of your lives.

         “Shit…” The prince cursed under his breath as he came to a seated position. This caused more blood to gush out of his nose at the sudden motion and you and Prompto to freak out. Luckily, you paid attention to the first-aid portion of your health class and knew exactly what to do in these types of situations.

         “Um… Prompto? I need tissues… so um… if you could?” You nervously asked the blond, snapping him out of his gawking at the raven-haired prince who looked confused on how to interpret the situation he was currently in. The blond boy nodded at you before running off in the direction of the school. You gulped nervously as you bent down on your knees beside the prince. He looked over at you with an unreadable expression. You were definitely going to get kicked out of Insomnia. “Uh Prince Noctis… tilt your head please…”

         He nodded slowly at you and did as he was told. “And pinch the bridge of your nose please. Don’t tilt your head backwards or the blood could go down your throat…”

         As the bleeding began to stop, Prompto returned with two giant rolls of tissue paper. He balanced one between his chin and chest as his hands worked frantically to tear a giant piece from the other. You grabbed the paper from him and held it out to the prince while bowing again. Noctis grabbed it from you and began to clean himself up while Prompto looked on in worry and you stayed in your bow.

         “Um… your highness, I sincerely apologize and ask that you not kick my family and I out of Insomnia. I’ll pay more attention to where I’m going from now on and-“

         You stopped talking as the sound of laughter filled your ears. Lifting up slowly, you watched as Prompto laughed and Noctis chuckled as he finished cleaning himself up.

         “Uh…?” You blinked confusedly.

         “What’s your name?” Noctis asked you.

         You immediately stood up straight and did a salute. “Y/N, your highness!”

         Noctis and Prompto laughed at you even more at your posture. You loosened slightly and gave them confused looks. Why were they laughing at you?

         “You’re so formal! Noct is really chill! Relax Y/N!” Prompto grinned at you as he regained his breath. “I’m Prompto by the way!”

         “And I’m Noctis Lucis Caelum, but you knew that, right?” The prince smirked slightly at you causing your face to turn several shades of red.

         Noctis Lucis Caelum was a name that sent excitement throughout your veins whenever someone mentioned it along with the names Prompto Argentum. Without them, you wouldn’t of have come as far as you have now in life. Of course, you did share something in common with the others who saw Noctis differently. There was no denying he was a handsome prince. Prompto often would nudge you in the arm whenever you absent-mindedly stared at the prince. The first time you were caught was in Noctis’s apartment. It was a Friday evening and you and Prompto decided to spend the evening with your best bud. That, and Noctis’s adviser and childhood friend, Ignis, always made the best food and you would much rather have his food than the junk your mom came up with every night when she returned from her job at the hospital in the middle of the night. You honestly were surprised you still had a slender figure and didn’t resemble a kid Prompto.

!!!

         Spending Friday evening at the prince’s apartment usually meant Noctis would take a nap on the couch in the living room until Ignis awoke him for dinner and Prompto and you would play video games until one of you lost – it was usually Prompto who lost. During a game of Mario Kart, Prompto had paused to go use the bathroom. Noctis was knocked out on the couch as usual and Ignis was whipping something up in the kitchen. You had heard Noctis mumble something about a, “Luna,” or something and it caught your attention. Of course, you knew about princess Lunafreya. Something about her and Noctis spending time together in Tenebrae after his incident. You didn’t push the topic of Lunafreya and Noct’s relationship because, well, you didn’t care. It had nothing to do with you. However, after hearing her name leave his lips, you turned to look at the sleeping prince. His jet-black hair fell messily in his eyes and a small frown was plastered on his lips. The 18-year-old had the features of a man but with the traces of a child. You smiled slightly as you reached over to him to brush some of the hair from his eyes. Your skin slightly made contact with his, causing a shiver go down your arm. He really was handsome. How’d you get so lucky to befriend the prince of Lucis? How did the prince of Lucis –

         “What are you doing?” Prompto asked loudly as he entered back in the room. You immediately snatched your hand away from the prince’s face. Ignis turned slightly from his position in the connected kitchen to arch a brow at the both of you. Noctis only twitched in his sleep before turning his back to the both of you.

         “I… uh… I… um…” You stuttered over your words. You could feel that your face was almost as red as Mario’s hat that flashed on the paused TV screen.

         “Do you like Noctis?!” Prompto bluntly asked. This caused you to choke on nothing in particular.

         “W-what? What gives you that idea?” You stuttered as you backed away from the sleeping prince and crawled back over to the TV.

         “You just brushed his hair out of his face and your face is red,” Prompto smirked at you.  “Look, if you like him, I won’t tell a soul. I promise.”

         “I don’t like him! His unruly hair just irritates me!” Your face turned even redder. If there was one thing you were sure of, you didn’t like Noctis. It was just the idea of getting caught doing something intimately to the prince while he was unaware was embarrassing. You definitely weren’t blushing because you had secret feelings for the prince.

         “Uh huh, sure,” Prompto’s smirk deepened.

         “Why don’t you leave Ms. Y/N alone and prepare for dinner,” Ignis said as he walked past you and Prompto to go awake Noctis. “Your highness, dinner is served.”

         After that night, to prove to Prompto – and yourself – that you didn’t see Noctis in that type of way, you began to brush his hair out of his eyes every time you got the chance. Whether he was awake or not, you’d casually lean over and brush his hair out of his eyes. Noctis thought you were weird at first for starting such a habit suddenly after years of knowing him, but he eventually got used to it and just batted your hand away. After a while, Prompto gave up the idea that you had secret romantic feelings towards Noctis and figured that his hair just irritated you that much. Ignis would just smile slightly to himself whenever he saw you and Noctis bicker about your habit or when he caught you brushing it ever so gently out of his eyes when he slept and stare at his face before snapping yourself out of it.

**_When did I realize was I in love with Noctis Lucis Caelum…?_ **

         You didn’t want to go despite being begged by Prompto. You didn’t want to go despite your family urging you to attend. You didn’t want to go after Ignis stating, “it would be fun,” and Gladiolus, Noctis’s royal guard, teased you about, “being Cinderella until the clock hit 12am.” You didn’t want to go especially because if Noctis didn’t even want to go then, why should you?

         The three of you had recently graduated from high school and the entire city of Insomnia wanted to celebrate the prince’s achievement. Of course, this meant a grand ball would be held at the Citadel for the celebration. Balls weren’t really your style. Especially since ever grand ball you’ve heard Noctis tell sounded like pure torture. However, you had to attend this one. See, the celebration wasn’t just for the prince – though he was the most important factor – but it was also to celebrate Prompto and your graduation, too. King Regis thought it wouldn’t be fair to just celebrate his son’s graduation when his best friends also graduated. So here you were, wearing a black floor-length ball gown that hugged your curves just right. The top half was made of lace that covered the top of your chest and went down to your arms. Your hair that you normally wore up in a messy bun was curled to perfection (thanks to your mom for doing it the night before) and flowed down to the middle of your back. Golden stilettos that glittered when the light hit them just right occupied your feet. You stood atop of the stairs of your house as you let out a sigh of annoyance.

         “Sweetie, you’re beautiful!” Your mom proclaimed as she took out her camera to take a picture.

         “Mom,” You whined. “Please don’t take any pictures. I’m sure Prompto is bringing his camera to shove into our faces the entire night.”

         “Well this is for my personal use,” She said as she snapped the picture anyway. “Isn’t your sister beautiful, Alex?”

         “Are you going to be like Cinderella and be ugly again by midnight?” Your 10-year-old brother asked you. You rolled your eyes at him. Believe it or not, that was his way of agreeing with your mom on your beauty.

         “Thanks, pipsqueak,” You said as you descended the stairs.

         “Are you ready?” Your dad asked as he walked in from the front door. “Whoa…”

         “Isn’t she beautiful? We did a great job,” Your mom faked a tear that caused you to groan.

         “Bye mom!” You said as you rushed out the door, dragging your dad with you.

!!!

         To say you were nervous would be an understatement. This was your first time attending an event at the Citadel. Hell, this would be the first time you’ve ever entered the Citadel. You’d think you’d visit it before, being the prince’s best friend and all, but since Noctis lived alone, you’ve only been to his apartment. There were cars and limousines lined up for miles in front of the entrance. Your dad dropped you off a couple of blocks to make sure he’d be able to get back out. You kissed his cheek goodbye and made your way to the crowd of people who were awaiting to enter.

         The inside of the Citadel reminded you of a hotel lobby. There was a desk to the right where receptionists were answering the questions of the guests and trying to direct them in the direction of the ball. You followed a group of people who you assumed were also headed towards the throne room, where the ball was being held, as you were. Entering an elevator, you watched as the numbers slowly went up until they stopped at floor nine. Stepping out of the elevator, your mouth almost hit the floor at the beauty of the room. You’ve only ever seen the throne room on television and never in person. The grand stairs that led to the king’s throne were white marble that were covered in red carpets. A large flower bouquet filled with numerous types of flowers stood in the center of the stairs and held a banner that read, “Congratulations Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum.” You were half expecting Prompto and your names not being up there but considering this party was also for you two, it was a little upsetting. Getting over it, you stepped away from the elevator and fully into the throne room, looking around through the crowds of people to see if you spotted your blond freckled friend or the raven-haired prince. You looked towards the throne where King Regis sat with a small smile upon his face. His expression showed how proud he was of his son. You smiled to yourself at the sight. Looking away from him, you turned towards a wall where you spotted your friends. Noctis was talking and bowing to guests who greeted and congratulated him. Prompto, who no doubt had his camera, was taking pictures of almost everything, barely paying attention to the prince beside him.

         You pushed through people to make your way over to your friends. Prompto’s eyes lit up as he noticed you. The smile that was plastered on his face slowly slid off to reveal his slightly opened mouth. Meanwhile, Noctis finished shaking a guest’s hand before turning to look at Prompto. His eyes instantly looked from him and in the direction of you where his facial expression turned into a similar one as Prompto’s.

         “You’re gorgeous! Wow!” Prompto said as you approached the two. A small blush was on your face as you slightly curtsied at them.

         “You’re not bad yourself, Prompty,” You smiled at the boy. He had his blond hair brushed back and a black suit with a red tie. The jacket looked a little too big for him but it worked well for the 18-year-old. Your eyes finally glanced over to Noctis who was still staring at you. However, this time it was your turn to stare also. He was in his royal clothes, something you rarely ever see him in. The Noctis who’d you’d been used to seeing wearing jeans and a t-shirt almost every day was now wearing a black suit with gold accented buttons and stripes. A small crown sat atop his – still a mess – black hair. He was honestly handsome. And you couldn’t help but blush at the fact that you two were somewhat matching. Of course, your dress covered your shoes so that would just be a secret just for you to know.

         “You clean up well,” Ignis said as he and Gladio suddenly appeared beside the prince.

         “Thanks Iggy,” You turned from the star struck prince and to the brown-haired man beside him.

         “I’m sure Cinderella’s dress was blue, but it’s still nice either way,” Gladio winked at you, causing your face to heat up even more.

         “Thanks… I think? Noctis?” You turned your attention back to the prince who still had his eyes on you.

         “Y-yeah?” He stuttered as he came to his senses.

         “Geez boy, can you comb your hair at least once?” You said as you reached your hand towards his hair to fix it. He immediately slapped your hand away causing the others around you to let out small chuckles.

         “Well since I’m here, who would like to dance with me first?” You smirked at all the boys. You laughed as you watched all their faces redden.

         “Ah, I think I should take my leave now. See you around, Ms. Y/N,” Ignis bowed to you before disappearing into the crowd of people.

         “I’m on duty. Sorry, Cinderella,” Gladio shrugged.

         “I can’t dance…” Noctis spoke.

         “What? You’re a prince and you can’t dance?”

         “Can you even dance?”

         “Wanna find out?” You smirked as you grabbed the man’s hand and dragged him towards the center of the room where others were dancing to classical ballroom music.

         “I was hoping she’d choose him…” Prompto let out a sigh of relief as he took out his camera and began shooting pictures of you and Noctis.

         Gladio smirked to himself. “Same here.”

         You led Noctis to the floor just as the previous song ended and a new one began. Before you could take the lead, you felt Noctis wrap one arm gently around your waist while the other gently clasped your hand with his. He began the dance and moved along to the sound of the violins that played in the background.

         “I thought you couldn’t dance, your highness?” You tried to joke to cover up the sudden nervousness you felt. You weren’t use to being this close to Noctis or his arm around you like this. It honestly sent butterflies going array in your stomach.

         “I know the basics, Cinderella. I am a king to be, am I not?” He returned his smirk as he gently led you around the dance floor, in sync with the other dancers around you.

         “Hm okay Mr. I-Can-Actually-Dance, how about this? The first one to step on one another’s foot has to dance with Prompto,” You grinned at him.

         “Deal.”

         You two danced around the room while trying to get one another to step on each other’s foot. Noctis would suddenly spin you out or switch up the directions of which way he danced. At one point, he almost tripped you up to cause you to step on him, but you swiftly avoided the mishap. He frowned at you as you grinned up to his hair covered eyes. As the song changed to a slower one, your smile turned into an expression of annoyance as you removed the hand that rested on his shoulder to push his hair out of his eyes. You were half expecting him to slap your hand away or trip and mess up – which was what you were hoping for, truthfully – but instead he instantly let go of your hand and caught the other one in mid-brush. His piercing blue eyes stared into your own as he gently held your wrist. You two immediately froze in place as you stared into each other eyes. This was so cliché, you thought. But you kind of understood all of those girls who said this happened to them in movies and such. Your felt your heart completely stop and suddenly it was only Noctis and you in the room. His icy blue eyes sent shivers down your spine while the gentle hold on your wrist sent similar chills down your arm. He didn’t break his gaze from you nor did you him.

         That was until someone accidentally bumped into the prince, causing him to stumble onto and step on your dress. Close enough.

         You immediately snatched your hand from his grasp and stepped back and pointed at him with a grin on your face. “You stepped on my dress! You lose! Looks like you better go ask Prompty over there for a dance!”

         “What? You said shoe not dress!” The prince proclaimed as he snapped out of the trance he was in.

         “Close enough, your highness,” You bowed to him before rushing off back towards Prompto.

         “Hey, what are you up to?” Prompto arched a brow at you as you grinned suspiciously in his face.

         “You’ll see soon enough…” You smirked as you watched Noctis angrily walk over to you guys, his eyes dead set on Prompto.

        “Is he gonna kill me? What did I do?” Prompto nervously laughed as he scooted closer to you for protection. You just casually scooted away.

         “Prompto,” Noctis said through gritted teeth, “Would you care to dance?”

         “Uh… are you feeling okay, Noct?”

         “Peachy. Just dance with me…” He grumbled.

         “Uh… I don’t know, I mean your father and all these council people are watching and-“

         “Just dance with me!” Noctis raised his voice before roughly grabbing the freckled man by his arm and dragging him to the dance floor.

         You smiled a shit-eating grin as you watched the two attempt to dance, with Prompto trying to escape. People around them giggled and watched in awe as the two men danced with one another.

         “What a beautiful friendship you three share…” A deep voice said beside you. Not thinking much of it and assuming it was just a guest, you nodded your head in agreement.

         “Yeah, they’re my everything.”

         “I’m really glad my son has people as special as you two in his life…”

         Wait… his son? He definitely couldn’t have had meant Prompto since his parents weren’t really in his life. So, that means…

        “King Regis!” You turned towards the aging king and came to a bow.

         “Ah, Ms. Y/N, am I right?” The king smiled kindly at you. “Get up, child, you can talk to me as if you were family. Any friend of Noctis’s is a friend of mine.”

         “Uh… thank you…” You blushed as you stood up and shyly looked at the king. You’ve never been this close to him before.

         “I trust that you’ll be a part of my son’s life for a long time… even when I’m gone… I hope.”

         “Ah, your majesty, please don’t talk about that.” The king mentioning his eventual death saddened you. Of course, you’d be excited for Noctis becoming king, but it also saddened. Noctis really loved his dad and you can’t imagine the pain he’ll eventually have to face after losing him.

         “Can you promise me you won’t leave his side? No matter what?”

         You turned and watched as Noctis gave Prompto an irritable look as he, you assumed, stepped on his foot. Prompto sheepishly rubbed the back of neck while presumably apologizing to the prince. This caused a smile to come upon your face.

         “I promise. I’ll stay by his side until the day the Gods spilt us apart…”

         You didn’t notice the king give you a sad smile as he rested a heavy hand on your shoulder.  “I’m really glad to hear that…”

         Later that night, you lay in bed replaying the night’s events in your head. One memory kept replaying in your head, however. You lifted your right hand as you stared at your wrist. It was the same wrist Noctis had grabbed you when he stopped you from brushing his hair out of his eyes. You let out a heavy sigh as you bought the arm down to your heart. It was no more denying it after tonight. You’ve tried to deny it since Prompto first mentioned it but the feelings you felt tonight just confirmed everything. You were in fact in love with Noctis Lucis Caelum, the prince of Lucis.

**_What happened two years later after that night, you ask? Well that’s a story for another time…_ **


	2. The Middle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter ahead. Brace yourself.

**Part Two: The Middle**

_How did I end up on the prince’s journey?_

            “Noctis, wake up,” You shoved your leg into a 20-year-old Noctis’s side. Of course, he didn’t move. “Noctis, we have to get up before Ignis comes.”

            He let out a groan before reaching for a pillow to cover his head with to block out the sound of your voice. You let out a sigh as you turned to look at a sleeping Prompto beside you. Today would be your last day in Insomnia before accompanying the prince on his journey to Altissia to be wedded to Lady Lunafreya. You, of course, didn’t want to attend the trip because the thought of leaving the safety of the walls of Insomnia frightened you. At least, that’s the excuse you gave everyone who begged you to go with the prince and his three friends. Prompto jumped at the idea of travelling Lucis with his best friends while Ignis and Gladiolus didn’t really have a choice. You thought you could choose not to attend also but your family, friends, and even King Regis himself guilt tripped you into going. You could ignore your family and friends’ pleas, but the king brought up the promise you made to him when you were just 18 about not leaving Noctis’s side.

            So here you were, awake at 4am to go train one last time along with Prompto and Noctis before you guys hit the road at 7am. Your friends and you decided to have one last sleepover as a trio before Noctis got married and wouldn’t have time for you or Prompto anymore.

Noctis was getting married…

            You let out a heavy sigh as you crossed your arm over your eyes. Noctis was getting married. Not to just anyone either but to the princess of Tenebrae - the oracle - Lady Lunafreya. You tried to convince yourself that Noctis didn’t really love her enough to marry her and that this was strictly a political movement. But sometimes those thoughts faltered when Lunafreya’s dog, Umbra, would come with a notebook attached to him that Noctis and Luna used to communicate since they were children. You hate to admit it, but there was at least a small feeling there. Sometimes when the dog magically appeared and Noctis read the notes, his face would blush a bright red or a small smile enlightened his lips. He never let you or the guys see what was in the notebook. This led Gladiolus to often joke about how the messages must be risqué or something. You knew he was joking when he said this but this still caused your heart to hurt.

            It’d be a lie if you said you weren’t in love with Noctis. You had been for the last two years, after all. Hell, it might’ve been longer but you just decided to recognize at age 18. This wedding was going to kill you. And what made it worse? You were to be Lunafreya’s maid of honor because apparently, the princess didn’t have a lot of female friends. So, of course, you got stuck with being in that position. You didn’t even know the princess personally but here it was expected of you to support her and act as if you’d known her for years.

            “Prompto…” You sat up from the large bed you three shared and poked the blond in his cheek. He just swatted your hand away.

            “Five more minutes…” He mumbled.

            “Five more minutes my ass, I need training here! All of you are prepared for battle against the daemons except me!” You whined as you grabbed your pillow and hit him on his head.

            “Ugh, can you shut up?” You heard Noctis mumble from under the pillow that still covered his head.

            “No! You guys are here sleeping away when we should be training! Also, you know Ignis will come in here at any minute and I don’t wanna hear his nagging this morning!”

            Prompto let out a sigh as he groggily sat up. “Okay, you’re right. He nags worse than a mother. I’m not trying to go through that…”

            You smiled at Prompto before turning your head back to Noctis. “Your highness…”

            “Hm…” Was all you got as a response.

            “I’m going to get ready…” Prompto yawned as he got up from the bed and headed towards the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom.

            You frowned as you grabbed the pillow from Noctis’s head. His hair was more of a mess than usual and you unconsciously reached over to brush his black locks out of his closed eyes. As your hand made contact with his hair, his hand grabbed yours and his blue eyes snapped open to reveal a slightly irritated look.

            “Why must you always wake me up?” He frowned at you as you tried desperately to avoid looking into his eyes. You thanked the Gods that the room was still sort of dark and he couldn’t see your blushing face.

            “Well, we have a lot to do today since you’re getting _married_ this weekend…” You tried to make your voice sound playful to cover up the obvious hurt that laid underneath it.

            “I hope you three are all up,” Ignis’s voice was heard from outside the door.

            “We’re up, Iggy!” You snatched your hand back from Noctis and made your way to the bedroom door.

            “Great, Gladio is waiting at the Citadel for training.”

            “Great…” Noctis mumbled as he slowly sat up to get his day started.

~!~

            “Y/N! Run in zigzags to avoid being shot,” Gladio shouted at you as you ran from the fake bullets Prompto was shooting at you. You nodded in his direction as you shot back at Prompto with your own gun. As you looked behind you to get a shot at Prompto, you didn’t notice that Ignis was in front of you, ready to strike you out. Before you could feel the force of his wooden daggers against your abdomen, you felt a hand quickly wrap around your waist and suddenly it felt like half of you were still on the ground while the other half was hanging in midair. You blinked to process the situation before realizing your arms were wrapped around Noctis’s neck as you looked at the far away ground below your dangling feet.

            “What the fuck!?” You shouted in fear as you tightened your grip on Noctis’s neck. He had one arm wrapped tightly around your waist while the other held onto the sword that was plunged into the wall. Did he just warp you? You’d never experienced his warping magic before during training, but then again, Gladio usually paired you up with Prompto when training instead of Noctis since you two shared similar weapons. Still, you didn’t even know he could warp multiple people with him.

            “Nice save, your highness,” Ignis gave him a thumbs up from below.

            “She looks like she’s gonna faint any sec, Noct!” Prompto yelled.

            Noctis finally looked from them over to you and your pale face. You were either gonna vomit or faint or _both_ from fear of being so far away from the ground. You didn’t have a fear of heights, of course not, but it was the fear of _falling_ from far up places that freaked you out. And with Noctis only supporting you with one hand _freaked you the fuck out_.

            “Please don’t drop me, please don’t drop me, please don’t drop me,” You repeatedly said as you held onto Noctis’s neck for dear life.

            “Hey, do you trust me?” Noctis calmly said as his grip tightened around your waist.

            “Are you seriously asking me this while we’re 20 feet up in the air only supported by a damn sword?” You gave him an incredulous look. Just as you said this, a rubber bullet came flying near your face, too close for comfort. You wanted to curse Prompto out for still being in battle mode but you figured if you were in this situation in real life, the enemy wouldn’t let you have a trusting talk with Noctis.

            “Y/N, do you trust me?” He repeated one more time. Another bullet flew past you and closer to your head.

            “Damn it, yes, Noct, I trust you!” You said as another rubber bullet hit the side of the wall.

            “I’ll never let you fall,” Was all he said before he threw his sword behind a still aiming Prompto. Before you had time to process the microsecond of time that you felt falling, you were back on the ground and Noctis had tripped Prompto. Coming back to your senses, you were able to catch Ignis coming at you with his daggers in full force. You quickly cartwheeled away from him and shot him in his left foot with a rubber bullet, causing the man to fall over.

            “TIME!” Gladio called from the sidelines.

            “Nice work, Y/N! Your aim has improved so much!” Prompto grinned at you. You grinned at him before letting the smile fall from your face and passing out onto the ground. The sound of running feet and the sound of the boys’ voices calling out your name was the last thing you heard.

 ~!~

_The last time I saw my family…?_

            A small smile enlightened your lips as you lay in bed in Galdin Quay, dreaming of the happiness you were going to bring your family once you returned to Insomnia from Altissia. At first, you were hesitant about travelling with the prince and his friends but when you saw the joyful looks on your parents and little brother’s faces, you knew you were doing the right thing. It was an honor to be chosen to travel with the next in line _and_ attend his wedding. Though the idea of seeing Noctis get married made you want to fall into tiny pieces, it comforted you a little to see how proud your family were of you. Your mom made you promise to return safely while your dad gave you a stern but loving talking to about travelling with the boys. It was during this talk you were glad you only spoke to your mother about your feelings for Noctis. Your brother wished you a farewell but not before requesting you collect all the Cactuar figurines for him while you were away. You just ruffled his hair and promised you’d do the best you could do.

            The boat to Altissia had been delayed for unknown reasons so you guys had to find another way to travel to Altissia. You knew it wouldn’t be too big of a problem since the wedding couldn’t start without the prince present anyway. You looked out the window at the ocean that crashed below your hotel room. It was such a beautiful place, Galdin Quay. You never really seen such a beautiful beach before. Inside the walls, the beach consisted of manmade sand around the lake. It was beautiful, of course, but not as beautiful as the one nature created itself. Though most of Lucis was either a dessert or forest land outside of the walls, it was all beautiful and you enjoyed riding in the Regalia, taking it all in.

            You let out a yawn as an urgent knock was heard at your door. It was probably one of the boys coming to wake you up for breakfast. You giggled. They probably wanted to get you up first before dealing with the Prince of Sleep himself. You were quite easier to wake up anyway. As you slowly climbed out of bed, stretching your arms, another urgent knock was heard at the door before you heard the sound of Noctis’s voice. That was weird. What was his highness doing up _before you_?          

            Quickly slipping on your socks, you rushed over to the door to reveal Noctis with a panicked look on his face. The relaxing feeling you had just a while ago was quickly overcome with worry. Noctis wasn’t the type to really panic. He tried to remain calm in even the direst situations.

            “Hey, what’s wrong?” You asked as you searched through his hazed sapphire eyes. Instead of replying, he held out a crumpled newspaper to your face that read “Insomnia has Fallen” on the front page. Immediately your face drained of color. Insomnia has fallen? That’s impossible! You guys had only been gone a day! How could the city fall within a day? The king was supposed to meet with the Empire to settle the dispute that’s been between them for centuries. You snatched the newspaper from his hand and quickly glanced over the front.

            “This can’t be true, Noct. This is a lie!” You tried to give the prince hope as you handed back the newspaper with shaky hands. “Insomnia is fine! You know how tabloids are!”

            “Yeah… maybe,” He still gave you those sad eyes. You wanted to comfort him but you didn’t know how to go about it. His facial expression didn’t show he was upset but you could clearly see it in his eyes. He was always bad at expressing his feelings. “The guys are preparing the car to go back to check things out. We’ll be leaving in about 30 minutes…”

            “Okay…” You said as you watched him head down the hall. You closed your door and quickly rushed over to your cellphone to call your mom. This was all just a huge misunderstanding. Everything was fine. Your mom would answer the phone and you’d tell her about the ridiculousness that was being published in the newspaper outside of Insomnia. She’d laugh then tell you how your brother was in his room playing Kings Glaive and your father had just left for work. Then she’d asked how you were holding up knowing the love of your life was getting married and you’d lie and tell her everything was fine and it didn’t bother you inside. You’d know she’d just say okay while not believing you. No one knew you better than your mom.

_“The number you have dialed cannot be reached at the moment. Please try again later.”_

“Shit,” You said under a shaky voice as you dialed your brother’s cell number.

            _“The number you have dialed cannot be reached at the moment. Please try again later.”_

            Panic fully setting in, you dialed your dad’s cellphone, the house phone, and his job’s phone and received the same message for everything. Something was wrong… but Insomnia couldn’t have fallen. Everyone was just busy. That’s all. Everything was okay.

            The car ride to Insomnia was filled with complete silence. Even Prompto, who usually liked to blast his music, didn’t feel like listening to it. Gladiolus’s eyes were focused strictly in front of him instead of reading one of the numerous books he brought along with him. Noctis looked out the side of the window as rain pelted down on it, hiding his expression from everyone. Your knee bounced nervously the closer you reached the bridge that led to the city. This wasn’t happening. Everything was fine.

            But everything wasn’t fine. As you guys reached the gates that led to the bridge, the smell of smoke filled your nostrils as you grew closer. You let out a deep shaky breath as Ignis slowed down the car in front of the gate. Niflheim magitek soldiers stood outside the gates, guns pointing towards your group.

            “Well, doesn’t seem like they’re going to let us in easily.” Ignis said.

            “We can probably enter through the side,” Gladiolus said as Ignis quickly turned the car towards an alternate route on the side of the road. As you guys approached the tower that led to the hill that overlooked Insomnia, soldiers could be seen roaming the area.

            “Are you ready for this, Y/N?” Prompto asked you. You just nervously nodded your head as you summoned your gun.

            “Hey…” Noctis placed his hand on your knee to stop it’s shaking. You looked over at him. “If you can’t handle it, call me, okay?”

            You gulped nervously as you nodded your head.

            “Enough chitchat, let’s go check out our home!” Gladiolus said as he exited the car. As everyone exited the car, the soldiers began attacking. You looked on as Noctis warped to strike-kill a soldier while Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus took off, following Noctis. You looked at the two guns in your hands and gulped. You had to see if your family was okay. Insomnia, unfortunately, didn’t look in the best of shape, but you could still have hope for your family, right? They could’ve escaped the city.

            “Y/N!” You heard Prompto call your name as he noticed you weren’t following the rest of the group. “C’mon! It’s dangerous!”

            Coming to your senses, you nodded and ran to catch up with the others. The further you guys climbed the tower, the more soldiers came to attack. Remembering Prompto’s guidance during your training sessions, you were able to take down several soldiers. As you climbed the hill that overlooked the city, more soldiers began shooting at you. The rain that was falling caused your hair to stick to your face, obscuring your vision. As you quickly tried to brush it out of your face, a magitek soldier came quickly towards you, gun aiming straight at your chest. Before you had time to react, you felt that familiar feeling of temporarily leaving your body again just as you did the day before along with a grip around your waist. You blinked as you realized that Noctis had warped you closer to Prompto who was fending off two soldiers.

            “Keep an eye out for your surroundings at all times,” Was all he said as he warped off to kill another soldier.

            “Are you okay?” Prompto asked, finally taking down one of the soldiers.

            “I will be eventually…” You said as you regained focus and shot the other soldier directly in its head.

            “Nice shot!” Prompto smiled at you but it quickly dropped when he noticed you didn’t return it. You were too worried about your family to celebrate your headshot.

            As you guys cleared out the area and reached the top of the hill where you could overlook Insomnia, a small gasp escaped your lips. Black smoke was rising from several areas of the city and Imperial ships were coming constantly, heading towards the city. Prompto turned his phone on to listen to a news broadcast. It reported that the agreement upon Lucis and Niflheim would be put on hold and that the king, Noctis, and Lady Lunafreya were all reportedly dead. Prompto quickly turned off his phone after the news of the deaths.

            “Hey! Turn it back on!” Gladio shouted as Prompto fidgeted to turn the station back on, only to drop his phone on the ground. You looked at Noctis as his hands that were balled into fists began to shake. How could he be dead when he was right here? There had to be some kind of lie within the newscast. The king and Lunafreya had to be alive. There was just no way. And what about your family? Are they okay? You needed answers _now_. Frantically, you took out your phone and began dialing your mother’s number again.

            “Cor…” You looked up as Noctis called someone on his phone.

            _“The number you have dialed cannot be reached at the moment. Please try again later.”_

            “Damn it, mom, where are you?” You cursed as you hung up to try your brother’s number again.

            “We’re outside the city with no way in. What the hell is going on? It’s being reported that dad, Luna, and I are all dead!” Noctis shouted into his phone as he paced angrily. Just as you couldn’t get through to your brother, Noctis let out a gasp as he quickly whizzed around to look at the city. Your heart dropped at the sudden change in emotion. Something was wrong.

            “Right…” Noctis said as he dropped the phone to his side.

            “What did the marshal say?” Ignis asked as he approached a stunned Noctis.

            “He said he’d be in Hammerhead…”

            “And the king...?” Gladio asked.

            Your heart finally broke as Noctis didn’t say anything. You all knew what it meant. King Regis was gone. If any of the rumors were false, then the one about Regis was true.

            _Ring! Ring!_

            You looked down at your phone and saw it was Alex, your brother, who was calling. Immediately you answered, “Hello?!”

            “Y/N… where are you?” He said. There was something wrong. His voice was off.

            “I’m fine! I’m outside the city! Where are you?! Are you okay?! Where’s mom, where’s dad-“ You were cut off as you heard your 12-year-old brother sniffle from the other side of the phone.

            “Don’t go inside the city. It’s ruined. Everything is ruined…” He cried out. The panic you already felt intensified at the sound of his cries. Your brother rarely cried.

            “Alex, listen, where’s mommy and daddy-“

            “They didn’t make it…”

            Your heart immediately stopped at your brother’s words. Was he joking? He couldn’t be, but he had to be, right?

            “They attended the signing event while I stayed at home and watched it on TV. I saw… I saw a soldier shoot them… they shot them on live TV, Y/N… First mom… then dad…”

            Your body instantly felt numb as you fell to the cold, wet ground. Your phone slipped from your hand as tears began to rush down your face. Your parents were dead. They were gone. Prompto and Gladiolus quickly ran to your side as you let out a heartbreaking scream. The sound of your brother saying hello could be heard from the phone on the ground.

            “Hey, kid, are you alright?” Gladio asked as he picked up the phone. “Listen, I want you to find a girl. Her name is Iris. She’s with a group of people who were able to escape, are you with that same group? Okay, great, find Iris. She’ll take care of you until we can get your sister to you, okay? Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

            “Y/N…” Prompto grabbed you and pulled you into his chest. You gripped onto his vest as tears fell down your face. This couldn’t be happening. Your mom, you just spoke to her yesterday! And now she’s gone. Your brother witnessed your parents’ death on TV and now he’s alone in a place where daemons and imperials are out to harm them. How were you going to live? How were you going to continue to go on? You cried more into Prompto’s chest as he tightened his grip around you and tried to soothe you. Why was this happening?

~!~

Days went by since you found out about Insomnia’s falling and the death of the king and your parents. Tomorrow morning, you and the guys would be heading to Lestallum where Gladiolus’s sister, Iris, was along with your brother. You couldn’t wait to get to him. Just imagining what he must be going through made your chest heavy. You were all he had left now. Letting out a heavy sigh, you sat on a mountainous cliff that over looked the ocean below. The guys had set up camp further back into the woods but you excused yourself after dinner to do some thinking. Ignis warned you about lurking daemons nearby but you told him you’d be okay. Prompto offered to go with you but you just wanted to be alone.

            “Hey…” You heard Noctis say as he approached you and sat beside you. You didn’t say anything as you watched the moonlight reflect on the ocean. Your mom would’ve loved to see such a beautiful sight. Noctis looked to you with worry and sadness of his own in his eyes. You’d forgotten that he lost a parent, too. He was in the same situation as you – but worse. With his dad dead, he was officially the king of Lucis now. Since the news of his dad’s death, you guys had been traveling to different tombs so Noctis could take on the powers of his ancestors.

            “Are you holding up okay?” You asked.

            “I’m not the one sitting on a cliff at night with the threat of a daemon appearing at any moment,” He tried to joke with you. When he didn’t get a response, he lightly placed his gloved hand on your shoulder. It was Noctis’s weird way of trying to comfort you.

            “I’m sorry…” You let out a sigh as you dropped your eyes to your folded hands in your lap.

            “For what?”

            “I just… I shouldn’t of came. I should’ve been there… to tell my parents not to go… to be there for my brother. I could’ve helped them all escape-“

            “Y/N, from what I’ve heard, everything happened so suddenly and was hectic. Even if you were there, who knows if you’d make it out alive. You’re where you’re supposed to be…

            You looked over to Noctis as he said this, tears welling up in your eyes. Noctis unconsciously removed his hand from your shoulder to brush away the stray tear that finally made its way out of your left eye. You felt your body get chills from his simple touch. He gave you a small smile that you responded to by reaching to push his hair aside to get a clear view of his eyes. Before your hand could reach his hair, he grabbed your wrist, stopping you from completing the process. It instantly reminded you of the time he did the same thing when you guys were 18 and danced for the first time at your – mostly his – graduation party. Instead of accidentally stepping on your dress like he did two years ago, he pulled you into him, wrapping his arms around you. You closed your eyes as you heard his heartbeat. It was beating faster than normal but the sound and being in his arms calmed you.

            “I’m really glad nothing happened to you. You and the guys mean a lot to me… and if I found out you were gone, I don’t know what I would’ve done…” Noctis spoke softly as his thumb rubbed little circles on your arm. “I’m happy you’re here with me…”

            Your heart almost stopped at his words. Did he really mean it?

            “I wish Luna could meet you under different circumstances… you guys would’ve made great friends…”

            And at the mention of Lady Lunafreya coming from your beloved’s lips, your heart did stop.

            _Lunafreya…_

~!~

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. Lady Lunafreya. Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae. Or simply, _Luna_ as Noctis referred to her to. And tomorrow morning, you guys would finally arrive to Altissia to see the oracle. Noctis was freaking out on the inside. He was calm about it about face, but you could read your best friend like an open book. You let out a sigh as you tucked your feet under you while sitting on the outside seating of King Regis’s boat, watching the stars illuminate around the full moon. By morning, you and the boys would arrive in Altissia. Who knows what would happen once you arrived. Would the wedding still go on despite all of what’s happened? What would happen between Noctis and Lunafreya once they met up with one another again? Would she run into his arms like long lost lovers? Would he cry at the sight of her beauty?  You’ve never seen the oracle but you imagined her to be beautiful. Whatever happens, you just knew you weren’t prepared for the ultimate heartbreak that would come. It was really foolish of you to even think you had a chance with the prince – now king. Kings are meant for queens, not commoners like yourself. You were Noctis’s best friend… and that’s all you’ll ever be. But damn it, you’ll be the best best friend he’s ever had – alongside the other guys, of course. You’ll continue to support Lunafreya and him, you’ll support him even when they eventually marry and have kids, when they grow and experience life together, and even when they die together. You’ll be there and support them through it all. Besides, you did promise to King Regis you’ll never leave Noctis’s side. You had too much respect and love for the late king to break the promise.

            “Hey, can’t sleep?” The voice of Noctis shook you from your thoughts.

            “Just excited to see Altissia, I guess,” You gave him a small smile as he took a seat beside you. “Why are you up, your majesty?”

            He let out a chuckle at the honorific. “Same as you, I guess, maybe nerves, too…”

            “Nervous to see your bride-to-be after all these years,” You playfully smirked at him as you lightly punched him in his arm.

            “I guess…” He let out a sigh as he looked up towards the night sky. “Did you talk to Alex today?

            “Yeah, I called him before dinner but he just complained about how I literally saw him a couple of hours ago and I’m being an overprotective sister, ha ha, I’m thankful for Iris being there for him…” You smiled slightly. Your brother was holding up pretty well for someone who witnessed the death of your parents. Gladiolus’s younger sister comforted and took care of him until you guys were able to arrive in Lestallum. Alex seemed distant at first because of the events, but he seemed to be accepting of everything. Something about your dad telling him when he was younger if something ever happened to him, he’d have to be the man of the house. Alex was slightly hesitant to see you leave to Altissia when you guys left Cape Caem earlier in the day, but he knew you had a duty to fulfil and Noctis and the boys wouldn’t let any harm come to you.

            “I’m glad you still have him…” Noctis smiled at you.

            “So…” You said as a silence fell between you two, only the sounds of the waves crashing into one another being heard, “What’s Lady Lunafreya like…? If I’m gonna be her maid of honor, then I should know something, right?”

            Noctis let a small chuckle at your comment. “I don’t think a wedding is going to happen any time soon.”

            “Still,” You removed your legs from under you and turned slightly to face Noctis. “I want to know about her… like… when did you know?”

            He arched a brow at you. “When did I know what?”

            “That… _you know_ …” Your face turned slightly red. Why were you even putting yourself in this position?

            He shrugged as he laid down, resting his head in your lap with his eyes closed. You tensed up at the sudden gesture and tried to calm your beating heart. “I don’t know…”

            “That you love her.”

            “Oh…” His sapphire eyes snapped open to stare into your own eyes. You quickly shifted them though so he couldn’t read the sad emotions they showed in them. “Well… I don’t really know?”

            “You don’t know why you love the person you’re marrying?” You frowned slightly, temporarily flashing your eyes down at him.

            “For one, I’m not marrying her…”

            “Fine smartass,” You rolled your eyes as you reached down to brush his black hair from his eyes. He plucked your hand to move it away, causing you to giggle a little. “Describe why you love the woman you _aren’t_ marrying then.”

            “Okay, that’s easy,” He smirked at you. You let out a saddened smile as you shifted your gaze back to the moon. Again, did you really want to hear why he was in love with Lunafreya? “She’s beautiful. Her heart is honestly made of pure gold. Sometimes she gets a temper but you just laugh at her, but if you really piss her off, she’ll kill you.”

            You chuckled at the sentence. Maybe you could get along with oracle after all.

            “She’s a hard worker but sometimes she requires help. She’ll put you before others and make them laugh with her sassiness.”

            “Sassy, huh?”

            “Yeah,” Noctis smiled. “She annoys me sometimes though. But… it’s the things that annoys me that makes me love her. Like when I sleep in and she can’t wake me up so she nags me like an Ignis clone or something. Or when she tells Ignis I didn’t eat my vegetables but then quickly eats them for me before he can see…”

            Your heart rate began increasing at that last description. You did that all the time to get on the prince’s nerves. Did a younger Lunafreya do the same?

            “Or the way she always thinks I’m going to drop her when I warp her out of danger and I have to remind her all the time I’ll never let her fall,” He sat up as he said that. You just stared blankly at him. “My favorite annoying thing she does, however, is when she does this…”

            He reached his gloved hand over to your face and gently brushed your hair out of your face. Noctis slowly let his hand fall down your face before carefully cupping your neck, pulling you closer to him. Your heart was pounding so hard that you swore it was going to wake up the entire boat.

            Just as his lips were about to connect with yours he whispered, “I think I described why I’m in love with you instead of what you’re like, but that’s okay too, right?”

            You slowly nodded your head as Noctis smiled gently at you before gently placing his lips on yours for a kiss. Immediately, you froze in place at the feeling of his lips on yours. Was this real? Was this really happening? Were you kissing the king of Lucis? Was the King of Lucis kissing _you_ , a commoner?

            Noctis quickly pulled back after noticing you weren’t responding to his kiss. His face flushed a bright red at his sudden action. Did he go too far? Was he overstepping his boundaries? Did he ruin the friendship between you two?

            “Was that even real…?” You blinked confusedly.

            “Um…”

            “Wait, did you admit you’re in love with me while engaged?”

            “Y/N…”

            “Am I asleep? Am I dreaming?” You pinched your skin hard to see if this was all a dream. You felt immediate pain from the pinch and looked back at the blue-eyed king who was looking worried. “Noctis, you love me?”

            “Uh… I really don’t want to say all of that again since it’s embarrassing,” He blushed as he looked away from your gaze.

            “Okay then don’t say it,” You said as you reached over and turned his face back towards yours, crashing your lips back onto his.

 ~!~

_When did things turn for the worse?_

Altissia. The beautiful city that was surrounded by water and gave off the aroma of romance in the air. Gondolas were the main way of transportation around the city which made your heart leap for joy when you saw it. Of course, you guys were here to see Lady Lunafreya, but maybe, when the other boys weren’t around, Noctis and you could sneak out and ride on one of them during the night. Ignis was the first one to pick up on the way Noctis and you acted around each other. The next day after Noctis confessed his feelings for you, there was some unspoken agreement that you two were an item. Ignis first had suspicions when Noctis and you kept throwing each other shy glances and smiles at the table for breakfast. Or when he caught you staring lovingly at him when Prompto was talking to you, oblivious to what the freckled blond was saying. The biggest hint, however, was when Ignis caught you sneakily kiss Noctis’s cheek when you thought no one was watching.

            “Are you involved with the king, perhaps?” He had asked you as the ship reached the port to Altissia.

            “Uh… what makes you say that? He’s my best friend, of course we’re involved,” You laughed nervously to play the question off.

            “Ms. Y/N, you know very well what I mean,” Ignis frowned slightly at you causing your face to heat up.

            “Noctis is engaged. I’m his wife-to-be’s maid of honor. That makes no sense to what you’re trying to imply, Iggy,” You scratched the back of your neck nervously. “Look! We’re entering the city!”

            “Hm… whatever Noctis and you have going on, I only pray to the Gods that Lady Lunafreya isn’t hurt in the process. However, as I’ve been aware of his majesty’s and your feelings for one another for quite a while now, I wish you two the best in your new journey. Good day, Ms. Y/N…” Ignis smirked at you as he pushed his glasses up and walked away, leaving you with your mouth agape at his words. Had you really made it obvious that you were in love with Noctis?

            “It’s a beautiful dress,” Ignis stated as you and the boys stood in front of the shop that held Lady Lunafreya’s wedding dress. You tuned the boys out as they teased Noctis about seeing the oracle in the dress and possibly marrying her after all this drama was over. Ignis eyed you carefully as you stared at the white dress. The detail was simple but layered at the bottom. The main point of the dress were the sleeves that weren’t attached the rest of the dress but hung separately. It went down the mannequin’s arms and connected to the middle finger to make it a glove also. As you stared at the dress, you could only imagine how beautiful the blonde woman would look in it. You stared at the portrait of Lunafreya beside the dress. She was truly a beautiful woman – fit for a queen. It was late at night and the few people who remained out commented on how the prince and Lunafreya would make such a beautiful couple and have an amazing wedding. They commented on how lucky they were to have one another. It was in that moment you realized, again, you were a commoner. You’d never live up to the standards of the oracle. She was meant for Noctis. Not you. Your duty was to assist the new king of Lucis and be a supportive friend – not be in love with him.

            You jumped slightly as you felt a finger wrap around your left pinky finger. Glancing down briefly to see a connected pinky with yours, you looked up to Noctis who nonchalantly stood beside you, pretending to be gazing at the dress. Your heart skipped a beat as people walked past you and the boys turned to look at you guys. Quickly, you snatched your pinky from his only for Noctis to hastily grab your hand and intertwine his fingers with yours. You watched as the boys’ mouths fell – all except for Ignis.

            “What’s going on?!” Prompto exclaimed loudly only to be hushed by you and Ignis.

            “I’m holding my girlfriend’s hand?” Noctis said casually as he held your hands up to display. Meanwhile, you almost collapsed to the ground at the sound of him calling you his “girlfriend.” So, it was official. That’s what you guys were. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Noctis was your boyfriend. The king of Lucis was your boyfriend.

            “Since when?!” Gladio shifted his bewildered eyes from you and Noctis.

            “Last night on the boat?” You shyly said as you pulled your and Noctis’s hands back down.

            “What about Lunafreya? The wedding? Noct – no – Y/N! I knew you liked him!” Prompto pointed at you excitedly. “His hair irritates me, my ass! What a lame excuse to touch Noct!”

            You just childishly stuck your tongue out at your other best friend and felt Noctis’s gently squeeze your hand. Suddenly, the wedding dress didn’t make you feel insecure as you knew you were the true person who held the king’s heart.

           ~!~

            “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were in love with Noct!” Prompto exclaimed as you two laid across your bed in your hotel room. Ignis and Gladio were already asleep in the room the boys shared but Prompto couldn’t let go of the idea that you and Noctis were _dating_. So, he decided to sneak out of his room and into yours. Truthfully, he was a little scared of getting caught by Noctis sneaking into your hotel room at night. The man went out fishing and could be back at any moment. When Prompto snuck into your room like a criminal risking to get caught at any moment, you let out a hearty laugh. Noctis was aware that Prompto was your other best friends and after years of sharing beds with them in his apartment, he shouldn’t really have a problem with Prompto in your room.

            “I thought you knew since it was _so_ obvious!” You rolled your eyes at the man.

            “I mean, for a second, I thought his hair really did just irritate you. He should do something about that before he’s officially announced as king…” 

            “I love my baby’s hair,” You stuck your tongue out at Prompto who gave you a disgusted look at you referring to your best friend as your “baby.”

            “I’m glad you two _finally_ admitted your feelings to one another. I got tired of watching Noctis pretending to like Lady Lunafreya-“

            “He what?” You interrupted Prompto. Pretend to like Lunafreya?

            “Pretended to like Lunafreya,” Prompto rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. “I mean, he probably did as one point, but that was way before he met you. After you entered his – our – lives, he changed. Suddenly, you were all he cared about. He’s loved you for a long time but I guess you were too slow to realize it.”

            You hit Prompto at him calling you slow. “How the hell was I supposed to know”

            “I know our Noctis is not big on showing his emotions, but trust me, anyone could tell he was – I mean is – into you. Why do you think I backed off you?” Prompto wriggled his eyebrow at you which made you hit him in the face with a pillow.

            “Get real, Prompto. We all know you have eyes for Cindy.”

            “Ah, isn’t she such a goddess?”

            “Hm,” Was all you said as you got up from the bed and slipped on your shoes.

            “Where are you going?” Prompto asked as he also sat up.

            “Going to find my Prince Charming,” You stuck your tongue out at him and grabbed your room key off the nightstand.

            “Going to make out with him under the Altissian night sky?”

            “Tongue and all,” You smirked at him and laughed as he pretended to gag.

            You slammed the door behind you as you headed towards the elevator that led to the lobby. Prompto hinting that Noctis liked you for a while struck something in you. All this time you thought he was crazy for Lunafreya when really, it was you. How long has he liked you? When did he first realize? Why did it take him so damn long to say anything? Gods, if you would’ve known sooner…

            Your eyes locked onto the black-haired prince – king – who sat on the pier in front of you guys’ hotel. He blended in with the darkness from the night around him with his all black attire. The single street light that sat at the end of the pier illuminated on him to provide some sort of light. You tiptoed towards the man and instantly wrapped your arms around him, burying your face in the back of his neck. He jumped slightly from the touch but relaxed immediately when he glanced down and saw your arms wrapped around him.

            “What are you doing?” He laughed slightly as he gently patted your arm.

            “I missed you,” You said as you hugged him tighter.

            “Didn’t you see me not even twenty minutes ago?”

            “Twenty minutes too long…”

            “You should be asleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow…”

            “Ah, you’re meeting your _real_ love, Lady Lunafreya, correct?” You loosened your grip around Noctis and backed away slightly. He immediately grabbed your arms and pulled you back into him, causing you to crash into his back.

            “We both know the answer to that question…”

            “Do we? I mean – you could be pretending to love me for all I know. I have so many questions,” You said as you finally let go of him and sat beside him on the pier, being careful not to sit on his fishing rod.

            “Like?” He turned to look at you as you glanced at the water below you.

            “How long have you liked me? I mean… I know at one point you were totally into Lunafreya,” You nudged him playfully. His face just turned red.

            “I was never _totally_ into Lunafreya,” You gave him an incredulous look at this statement.

            “Noctis,” You frowned at him.

            “Okay,” He laughed, “I was at one point but then… I don’t know…”

            “Prompty said it was because you met me,” You nudged him again, this time he nudged you back, however.

            “I guess… I realized I liked you at my graduation party…”

            “You mean _our_ graduation party,” You playfully frowned at him but it faltered when he smiled at you.

            “Yes, _our_ graduation party.”

            “Hm… that’s funny…” You said as you turned to him and leaned in closer to him. “Because that’s also when I realized I liked… no… loved you.”

            Noctis smiled slightly as he rested his forehead against yours. “I think this is the first time you actually said you loved me…”

            “Hm…” Was all you said as you tried desperately to close the gap between Noctis and you. However, he backed away, causing you to almost fall on your face.

            “I think we should go to bed now! It’s late and the fish aren’t biting. Plus, we have a busy day tomorrow. I have to make friends with a goddess, after all.” Noctis nervously said.

            “I can’t go to bed yet,” You whined slightly. Noctis just arched a brow at you. “I told Prompto I came out here to make out with you and I don’t like being a liar.”

            If Noctis’s face was red before, it was definitely red now. “Um…”

            Before he could say anything else, you grabbed him by his collar of his jacket and brought his lips extremely close to yours. You smirked as you saw his eyes focused on your lips. “With tongue, also.”

~!~

            _The Leviathan?_

            You gasped in horror as you watched the Leviathan slam Noctis into the ground, knocking all the wind out of his body. The boys and you oversaw evacuating the citizens from out of harm’s way but everything went awry when Niflheim soldiers came to attack and disrupt the alliance between Noctis and the Leviathan. Prompto was able to get his hands on some mini-jet to get Noctis and you out of the way. Lunafreya, who desperately tried to get on the Leviathan’s good side, was only thrown to the side by the goddess as she decided to attack Noctis to declare him worthy or not.

            “Prompto, take me to Noctis!” You yelled as Prompto flew you guys away from the chaos that was happening.

            “I can’t do that, it’s too dangerous, Y/N!”

            “Prompto, please! He’s in trouble! He’s not getting up!” You shouted furiously as tears fell from your eyes. Prompto flinched as he felt your fists being pelted into his back.

            “Y/N, I promised him I wouldn’t let you get hurt! I’m sorry!”

            “Bull fucking shit. I lost my family. I only have my brother. I’m not losing the one I’m in love with, too!” You said as you stood up on the jet, causing it to wobble slightly.

            “H-hey! Sit down! It’s dangerous!” Prompto yelled at you as he used a free hand to try to get you to sit back down. As he flew over the spot where Lunafreya lay, you inhaled and jumped from the jet. “Y/N! WHAT THE HELL?!”

            You landed roughly, scrapping up your arms and legs on the cement beneath you. Lunafreya looked at you as she tried to run to aid you but only fell in the process.

            “Luna! Noctis is… he’s in trouble-“

            “Well well well, if it isn’t Lady Lunafreya and Noctis’s best friend. What a surprise to see both of you here…” The voice of Ardyn, the man that had been helping you out on your journey, said as he walked over to you.

            “Ardyn! Noctis needs help, please-“

            “He’s not one of us, Y/N,” Luna said as she desperately tried to block Ardyn from approaching you two any further with the trident she held.

            “Yes… this doesn’t concern you, Y/N…” Ardyn said as he knocked the trident from Luna’s hand. You pushed Luna aside and outstretched your hands, hoping to somehow stop Ardyn from getting to her. Ardyn laughed as he simply pushed you aside, causing you to fall onto your arm, injuring it. “Now… about that ring…”

            You quickly stood up, holding your arm, trying to stop Ardyn but froze in your steps as you watched him stab her.

            “Lunafreya!” You shouted as you desperately tried to get your gun out to put an end to this asshole. The boys had all warned you about Ardyn since the beginning but you were always the type to give people the benefit of the doubt. You watched in horror as Luna tried to heal Ardyn, only for him to slap her with enough force to send her to the ground. As he stepped away from her and towards you, you got out your gun and began shooting at the man. You gasped as you realized your bullets had no effect on you.

            “How cute. If you were my true enemy, I would’ve stabbed you, too. Unfortunately, it’s not you I’m after. I bid you a farewell, Y/N…” Ardyn bowed to you as you watched him aboard the ship he came on. You used the strength you had in you to pull yourself up to try to catch him, but it was too late. The Leviathan let out a scream as you and Luna turned to look at Noctis. You immediately ran towards the injured oracle who only grabbed her trident.

            “I’m going to… use my last strength to help him, please… don’t worry,” She gave you a weak smile as she summoned all the Kings of Lucis to assist Noctis. You watched as Noctis’s body was lifted from the ground before obtaining the power of the kings. Lunafreya dropped the trident that disappeared before touching the ground. You ran to her and took her into your arms.

            “You’re going to be okay. We’ll get you help as soon as this is all over,” You said, tears running down your face as Luna gave you a weak smile. Never in your life did you think you’d be trying to save the life of the last oracle. Never in your life did you imagine trying to save the life of the person you were once so jealous of. Of the same person who only moments ago, saw you in the crowd, holding her fiancé’s hand, while giving a speech and temporarily losing her train of thought at the sight. You pushed those thoughts aside as you ripped off a piece of your shirt and applied pressure to the spot where Ardyn stabbed her.

            “No, no, let me heal you. You’re injured,” Luna said as she pushed your hand away. You just violently shook your head as you tried to reapply pressure. Tears poured down your face as she grabbed your hand once more and light emitted from it. Instantly, you felt every ache slowly be lifted away and the bruises and scratches you received early from the impact of the fall from earlier were gone. Luna gave you another weak smile as she let her hand drop. You wiped your tears and began trying to stop her bleeding.

            “Y/N, right? My maid of honor…” She softly spoke. “I’m so happy it was you who was supposed to stand by my side on my wedding day. I believe we would’ve made wonderful friends.”

            “Lady Lunafreya, please don’t speak as if we can’t be friends after all this,” You laughed slightly through your tears. You weren’t going to let her die.

            “Maybe in the afterlife… we can meet again and star anew. For now, however, I need you to do me a favor and continue to love Noctis. He told me how much you meant to him all the time. I tried to advise him to confess to you but he was so stubborn…”

            Your face fell in shock at her words. Lunafreya knew of Noctis’s feelings towards you? He spoke to her about you? He asked for advice concerning you? And Luna was okay with it all?

            “Never leave his side. After today, I will have fulfilled my duty as oracle,” She smiled weakly at you. Just as you were about to say something, the Leviathan let out an ear-piercing scream, causing you and Luna to look over at the commotion. Noctis had scarred the Goddess by slicing her down her center. Noctis’s body was then gently placed in front of you and Luna and she began to quickly get to him. You ran to his side and lifted his head in your arms. He wasn’t breathing and his eyes were closed.

            “Noctis... Noctis wake up, please,” You shouted at him as you brought his head to your chest, holding it tightly. “I can’t lose you, too. Please!”

            “Let me see him,” Luna said as she reached for Noctis, taking him away from you. She placed her forehead against his as she began to use the last of her strength to heal him. “Blessed stars of life and light…”

            Just as she said this, the Leviathan let out another scream, ready to attack again. You quickly pulled out your guns and stood in front of Noctis and Lunafreya as she held him in her arms. You aimed it at the goddess but only paused when you noticed the Titan arising from the ocean. As he slammed into the water, causing a tsunami to appear, you quickly turned around to over Luna who was already covering Noctis. After that, everything was a blur.

~!~

            _“My beautiful daughter, it’s not time for you yet. You must awaken and fight alongside your king…”_

“Mom…?” You asked carefully as you looked around the white room that surrounded you. You blinked and suddenly your mother was standing in front of you. She wore a white gown and her hair that she usually had pinned up was flowing around her shoulders.

            “Y/N, you must wake up. We cannot accept you, yet?”

            “We?” You asked as suddenly another figure appeared from behind your mother. It was Luna. “Lady Lunafreya?”

            “I pray to the Gods that you won’t break your promise to me. Please continue to look after Noctis. Make sure he fulfills his duty as Lucis’s last king…”

            “Last king?” You asked confusedly.

            “My baby, you must awaken now. I will see you soon. Your dad and I are waiting for you,” Your mother said as she began to fade. You blinked again before desperately running to your mother’s figure, but she disappeared completely before you could reach her.

            “Mom!? Where are you?!” You turned to an also fading Lunafreya who only smiled at you.

            “I will see you soon,” She completely faded from your sight. As she did, the room became brighter until your eyes couldn’t help but close from the brightness of it all.

            You awakened in a bed beside Noctis who was still asleep. Immediately remembering the events of what happened, you scrambled out of bed and pulled Noctis’s sleeping form into you. Tears fell down your face as you watch his chest slowly rise and fall, signaling he was alive. It was such a relief to you after seeing him almost die.

            “Ah, Ms. Y/N, are you awake?” You heard Ignis say from a chair he sat in. He tripped slightly as he stood up and you gasped as he used a cane to try to find his way to your side of the bed.

            “Iggy… what happened?” You said as you let go of Noctis and ran to the man that you could only assume was blind now.

            “Ah, it’s nothing. Please do not worry,” He smiled at you.

            “Ignis, you’re blind! What happened?” You let out a cry as you embraced the man in a hug. “Why is everything going bad? Where is everyone else? Where’s Luna?”

            “Everyone else is fine. I’m the only one who suffered an injury. As for Lady Lunafreya… she didn’t make it.”

            Your arms fell limp to your side at the mention of Luna’s passing. You’d only known her for a split second but it suddenly felt like you lost a longtime friend. More tears fell from your eyes as you looked back over to Noctis. How was he going to take the news? When was he going to wake up… if he ever woke up?

            “How long… have we been asleep?”

            “Almost two weeks… Noctis should awaken soon… I’m going to tell the others you’re awake. May you help me to the door?” Ignis asked. You nodded your head as you wiped the tears from your eyes. Quickly remembering Ignis couldn’t see your nod, you rushed and gently grabbed his arm, leading him towards the door.

            When you returned to the room, Noctis was sitting up in the bed, confused at everything that has happened. You immediately broke down in tears again as you ran to his side and embraced him in a hug.

            “Noctis,” You cried into his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around you.

            “Are you okay?” He asked as he tried to soothe you. You immediately shook your head as you looked into his sapphire eyes. Your eyes then glanced down at his balled fist and his eyes followed. He undid his fist to find the Ring of Lucii in it. He gasped as he looked at it.

            “Where’s Luna?” He immediately asked.

            “Noctis… she… I tried to… I couldn’t save her,” You began to cry again at confirming to Noctis that Luna had, indeed, passed away in the events that occurred.

            Noctis gasped as he turned to his side and saw the book he used to communicate with Luna with as a child. He picked it up and flipped it to the next available page only to find a flower that you didn’t recognize engraved into it. Tears began pouring from Noctis’s eyes at the sight of the flower. He balled his fist with the ring in it and began to shake violently. You pulled him into you as he wrapped his arms around your waist and cried into your chest. Lunafreya was gone. He was unable to save her.

~!~

_Things got worse after that…_

            You blinked as you watch the Regalia die in front of you, the headlights fading slowly out. Along with the car dying, it felt as if your journey with the boys had died along with it. Memories of riding in the Regalia with them, the long night drives, the camping out in the car when it rained, the multiple times Prompto crashed it “accidentally” to just have Cindy fix it again – it all suddenly died with the car. You turned to look at Noctis who looked as if he would break down at the sight of his father’s car dying.

            “Let’s go find Prompto…” You said quietly as the guys nodded.

            “Y/N, go with Ignis and Gladio,” Noctis said suddenly. You snapped your head to him with his words.

            “I don’t want to leave you.”

            “Y/N! It’s too dangerous. Ardyn is after me. I can’t have you get hurt,” Noctis sternly said to you. For the first time, it felt like you were taking orders from a king and not your best friend.

            “What if you get hurt…?” You said as you felt tears brimming in the back of your eyes.

            Noctis let out a heavy sigh as he pulled you into him and kissed the top of your head. “I will be fine. However, I _won’t_ be fine if something happens to you, understood?”

            You nodded at him as you pulled away from his embrace and walked over to Ignis and Gladio.

            “We’ll protect her,” Gladio placed an arm around your shoulder.

            “Y/N is in safe hands with us, but, she is more than capable of fighting on her own.”

            “Thanks guys,” Noctis nodded at them. “Y/N… I love you. Come back in one piece, okay?”

            “I love you, too…” You sniffed as he smiled gloomily at you before running off towards the direction of the Niflheim castle.

            “C’mon kiddo, we’ll be reunited with him before you know it,” Gladiolus tried to comfort you but you just ignored his words and began to walk ahead of them. This was a nightmare. Everything has been a nightmare since Luna’s passing. Noctis wasn’t the same cheery guy you once knew. Something along with Luna died with him. He was more protective of you than normal and prevented you on going on certain missions with the rest of the boys in fear of you getting hurt. This put a temporary strain on your relationship until you had a talk with Alex who knocked some since into you one night:

            _“He loves you, Y/N. Geez, he just lost a close friend of his and you were in the same position as her! You could’ve died with Lady Lunafreya! Do you realize that?” Alex had yelled at you through the phone. He was so loud that you had to hold the phone away from your ear._

_“He’s being so… overprotective, like, you’ve seen me fight! I’m pretty good at it! Why can’t he realize I’ll be fine?”_

_“To him, you are his queen. Not Lunafreya. Not any other female on this planet. You. Are. His. Queen. He can’t let you have another encounter with death again. Lunafreya’s death almost destroyed him... imagine if you died. It’d be the end of him…”_

_You let out a heavy sigh at your younger brother’s words. When did he become so wise? “I guess you’re right… I am being a little bit-“_

_“Stubborn?”_

_“Shut up!” You frowned. “I’ll talk to you later… I have to go make up with my boyfriend.”_

_“Gross but have fun,” Alex said as he hung up from you. You ran a hand through your hair as you looked over at Noctis who sat next to the window on the train, staring absentmindedly out of it. He was angry at you for not understanding why he was behaving the way he was. That, and Gladio was up his ass again about his kingly duties. Ever since Prompto’s disappearance, everyone had been on edge with one another. Only Ignis tried to keep the peace but even you could tell he was getting fed up with everyone. Taking a deep breath, you went over to the king and took a seat beside him._

_“Hey…”_

_He didn’t respond as he continued to look out the window._

_“Don’t talk. Just listen. I’m sorry for being… so difficult. But hear me out, Noct, I almost lost you. At one point, you were dead in my arms. I was going insane and if it wasn’t for Luna, then you wouldn’t be here right now. So, forgive me for always wanting to follow you on your quests but I fear if I leave you, you won’t come back to me.”_

_Noctis let out a heavy sigh as he looked down at your hands in your lap that were fidgeting with the edge of your shirt. He reached for the hand closest to him and intertwined his fingers with yours._

_“I’m sorry, too…” He said as he looked up at you. “I’ll always come back to you, okay?”_

_You smiled gently as you rested your head on his shoulder. “My king… I love you…”_

_“I love you, too, my queen…”_

 ~!~

            “Hurry up! He’s in there,” You desperately tried to open the door that had Noctis trapped inside, daemons trying to murder him.

            “Damn it, we’re trying! We almost have it!” Gladio shouted at you as he keyed in some more numbers to the pad. You and the guys had your weapons back but Noctis didn’t have his. You watched in fear as he struggled to escape from the enclosing wall and daemons that surrounded him.

            “Got it!” Gladio shouted as the doors opened and Noctis fell out to his knees. You immediately rushed to his side to make sure he was okay.

            “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” You asked frantically as you gave him a quick look over.

            “I’m fine,” he said but you didn’t hear him as you were still checking for any signs of injuries and asking him questions about his health. “Baby, I’m fine.”

            Hearing him call you baby made you freeze in your place. Never have you heard Noctis refer to you with a term of endearment. Usually it was you who called him names like, “baby” “sweetie” “my love.” Never him. So, to hear it from him made your heart melt. Coming back to your senses, you threw your arms around his neck and kissed him. Gods, it felt like forever since you’ve kissed him.

            “Ahem, we still have to find Prompto,” Ignis said suddenly. You broke away from Noctis and helped him up as a blush appeared on both of your faces.

            “Let’s go!” You said as you took Noctis’s hand in yours and you guys left the room to go find and save Prompto.

~!~

_Was that the last time I saw Noctis? No…_

“Noctis, go!” You shouted as he ran towards the closing door. He looked worriedly at you, causing him to hesitate to take off.

            “But…”

            “No buts! I can handle myself. Trust me, okay?” You said as you shot at another daemon. “Hurry up! Go go go!”

            He gave you one final glance that you returned with a smile. Not noticing a daemon appearing behind you, he gasped as he warped over to where you are and then again to bring you out of danger. He gave you another unsure look as you only grinned at him.

            “A minor slip up! I’ll be fine! Go ahead before the door closes!” You pushed him along. Turning back around, you saw a swarm of daemons rushing towards you. Not too far behind them were Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus. You let out a tiny sigh of relief. You’d be okay now.

            “See you on the other side,” He said before taking off towards the door, getting inside just as it closed.

            “Thank Gods,” You said as you shot at a daemon.

            “Did he make it?” Prompto asked as he appeared beside you.

            “Just barely!” You grinned as you continued to shoot at the enemies around you.

            After clearing out the daemons, Prompto opened the door to reveal the crystal with Ardyn standing in front of it. Noctis was nowhere in sight.

            “What the hell did you do to him?” You screamed at Ardyn as he simply laughed and turned around and began to walk away. Gladio swung his sword at him but a puff of black smoke arose from Ardyn’s body at the impact and he continued to walk away. Prompto shot at him causing him to fall to the ground. You all watched as his hat rolled away. Everyone thought he was dead but you knew better. You remembered in Altissia when your shots at him barely affected him. Everyone gasped as Ardyn grabbed his hat and turned to grin at you all, revealing that he was a daemon himself. Gladio quickly pushed you behind him to protect you.

            “Where the hell is Noctis?!” You screamed again as Ardyn bid you farewell with a handwave. After Ardyn leaving, you looked on with a stunned look before turning to the crystal. Was he in there? Anger and sadness boiling up and taking over you, you summoned your guns and to shoot relentlessly at the crystal.

            “Y/N get a hold of yourself!” Ignis shouted at you as you shot bullet after bullet at the crystal. Tears streamed down your face as your mind could only process one thought. Noctis was in there and you had to get him out.

            “Give me back my boyfriend – my best friend – you fucking asshole,” You screamed as your guns ran out of bullets and you dropped them to the ground. “Fuck!”

            You began to punch and kick the crystal with no effect. Your hands became bloodied and your foot ached from the force you threw at it. Gladio, finally tired of seeing you injuring yourself, picked you up by your waist and away from the crystal. You screamed and pounded into his arms as he carried you away from the crystal. Prompto picked up your fallen weapons and began to follow Gladio, Iggy, and you out of the room.

            _No… I saw him again after that. However, **that** would be the last time I saw my beloved king…_

 

 


	3. The End

**Part Three: The End**

            _“Happy birthday, Y/N!” Prompto exclaimed loudly as he shoved a cake in front of your bewildered face as Noctis flicked confetti at you at the front door of his apartment. You blinked a couple of times before looking down at the sloppily made cake. “Happy 19 th Birthday” was written in messy blue icing that you knew Prompto did. The cake must’ve just left the oven since the icing was melting off it and dripping onto the glass plate it rested on. A number nine candle sat slightly off center in the cake. You immediately covered your mouth with your hand to suppress a giggle._

_“Is this why you guys asked me to rush over here?” You giggled as you took the cake from Prompto._

_“Yes! You only turn 19 once!” Prompto grinned. “Taste the cake! Noctis and I worked really hard on it.”_

_“I would ask the Gods for a blessing that you won’t die while consuming the cake first,” Ignis said as he appeared from the living room. “Happy birthday, Ms. Y/N.”_

_“Thank you, Iggy, I’m sure my boys made a wonderful cake,” You smiled at the blond and raven-haired boys in front of you. Carefully balancing the cake, you leaned over and kissed both of their cheeks causing their faces to immediately turn a vibrant red._

_“Just make a wish and try it,” Noctis mumbled before flicking more confetti in your face. You snarled slightly at him before closing your eyes._

**_I wished to be with my friends forever._ **

**~**

            Five years. It’s been five years since you’ve last seen daylight. Five years since you felt the warmth of the sun on your skin and the safety of daylight. Five years since you truly smiled and felt happiness. Five years since you’ve seen _him_.

            You resided in Lestallum now with your brother and Iris. The boys and you split up after the daylight ceased to exist. They had to find a way to protect the people around Lucis and bring them to Lestallum which currently served as the only safe haven from the daemons. The city was overcrowded with people from Altissia, Insomnia, and various other places where daemons had overtaken. Lestallum’s power plant provided enough light to keep the daemons away but food shortages and medical supplies were short do to the numerous amount of people who called Lestallum home now. It was Iris, Alex, and your duty to go out and hunt and find supplies to bring back to the city. Gladiolus taught Alex and Iris how to wield weapons a couple of years ago, and now they were almost professional with them. You occasionally met up with Prompto when he’d travel to Lestallum to check up on you. He lived in Hammerhead now that was turned into some sort of safe zone along with Gladiolus and Ignis.

            Today was your 25th birthday and you were spending it alone until Prompto arrived later. Iris and Alex were on a hunt together to find more food for the city. You offered to go but they insisted you rest on your birthday. Letting out a heavy sigh, you walked to the balcony of your apartment that overlooked the city. It was a small apartment that you shared with Alex and Iris. You watched over Iris for Gladio while he was in Hammerhead, trying to figure out ways to bring back the sun. Looking up to the night sky, you closed your eyes and let the wind hit your face. Another year has passed. Another year that Noctis was still missing. They say as time goes by, it gets easier, but that’s all a lie. It never gets easier. You just learn to handle it well and hide your emotions. You learn to stop crying yourself to sleep every night. Learn to stop blaming yourself for not going after him. Learn to force a smile around your friends and family so they won’t worry about you. Learn to continue to live day to day – or night to night – like nothing happened. But on the inside, you’re dying. He’s all you think about. Is he alive? Is he safe? Has he forgotten you? Is he happy wherever he is? A numbing feeling surrounds your heart and your head clouds whenever you think of him. Gods, you missed him so much.

            Sometimes, you wondered how could you go on without him? There’s been plenty of times you’ve contemplated just leaving everything behind and letting the daemons take over you. But… you knew he wouldn’t want you to do that. Besides, who’d look after your brother? He was the only family you had left. He’d be a wreck if he lost you, too. It was selfish thoughts, really, but you couldn’t help but have them every now and then. And tonight was one of those nights. On your 25th birthday. When you imagined your 25th birthday, you imagined a get together with your parents, brother, and best friends. Noctis and Prompto would probably make you a horrible cake again like they did when you were 19 because they thought you loved the bland tasting cake. Your mom would probably hint to Noctis multiple times to propose to you already and the poor guy would just end up being flustered the entire night until your dad came to his rescue. You’d laugh as you pulled the King of Lucis away from the crowd of people and to a place where you knew no one would disturb you. He’d wrap his arms around your waist and pull you closer into him, whispering you a happy birthday as he placed multiple light kisses on your neck as you tried to restrain a giggle from the ticklish feeling it sent down your spine. He’d notice you stifling in your laugh before asking what and you’d burst out in laughter at the confused king’s face. As his face turned red with embarrassment, you’d tell him it was nothing and gently stand on your tiptoes to place your lips onto his.

            “Y/N?” Prompto’s voice snapped you out of your trance. You turned around to see him standing in the doorway to the balcony, holding a small cupcake in his hand. “Are you okay?”

            You just sadly smiled at him. “I’m fine. Is that for me?”

            “Ah yeah! Happy 25th birthday!” He walked closer to you to hand you the cupcake. You took it from his hands and looked down at it. It was a chocolate cupcake with strawberry icing.

            “Thank you,” You said.

            “Ah, I have one more thing,” Prompto said as he fished through his jean pockets to reveal a folded piece of a paper. “It’s not a nice gift and I don’t know if you’ll like it… but I hope you will.”

            You took the folded paper that turned out to be a picture from his hands. Slowly opened it, you let out a small gasp at it. It was a picture when you were 18 at your high school graduation party. The picture was a shot of Noctis and you. It was the moment when he caught your hand just as you were about to brush his messy raven-colored hair from his sapphire eyes. Prompto captured the moment perfectly as you could read the facial expressions of you both in the picture. A deep blush colored your cheeks as you shyly looked in the then prince’s eyes and he stared back with his mouth slightly agape. His ears were tinted red. You felt tears build up in your eyes as you looked up at Prompto who was rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

            “I didn’t wanna make you cry-“ You cut him off as you sat the cake down and embraced him while holding the picture tightly.

            “Thank you…” Was all you whispered into his shirt before feeling his muscled arms wrap around you.

            “No problem…”

~

            “I’m in Hammerhead, where the hell are you?” You asked into your phone as your 22-year-old brother bombarded you with questions as to why you weren’t in Lestallum and why didn’t you tell him sooner you were going to Hammerhead. You were a 30-year-old woman getting scolded by your overprotective little brother. At what age did the tables turn?

            “Alex, chill out, I’m with the guys waiting on Talcott. He went out to gather some things for us. I’ll be back tomorrow, okay?” You hung up from your brother and stretched your arms out. You had arrived in Hammerhead earlier and the long car ride was uncomfortable do to you having to stop almost every five minutes to clear the roadways from daemons. To say you were tired was an understatement but you promised yourself to stay up and see Talcott return. He hasn’t seen you in years do to you living in Lestallum and him barely traveling there anymore.

            “You look so tired, why don’t you sleep?” Prompto asked you as you sat on the steps of the diner. You just shook your head.

            “I want to see Talcott when he arrives,” You smiled at the blond. Letting out a sigh, Prompto plopped down beside you on the step.

            “You had a long journey from Lestallum. I don’t want you passing out from being sleep deprived.”

            “Prompty, you’re starting to sound like Alex with all this scolding,” You tried to frown at him but it was overtaken by a yawn.

            Prompto let out a heavy sigh. “Look, I’m worried about you. Alex told me you haven’t been sleeping lately for some reason. That’s not normal for you…”

            You let your head fall slightly at his words. It was true. For the last couple of days, you haven’t been able to get to sleep. It wasn’t like you didn’t want to sleep – you desperately wanted to – but you just had this unnerving feeling that if you did sleep, you’d miss something important. So, to prevent yourself from sleeping, you’d walk the streets of Lestallum late at night or even go on hunts without your brother or Iris’s knowledge. You knew if they found out, they’d lock you in the house and follow you around everywhere when you left it. That’s how you ended up in Hammerhead. Something told you to go there so you listened to it. Alex, of course, was upset at your abrupt departure, but he’d be okay. It was only for a day, after all.

            Letting out another yawn, you let your head fall onto Prompto’s shoulder. “Okay, you’re right, maybe a small nap.”

            “Please don’t let Cindy see this,” Prompto said as he repositioned himself to lift you up to carry you to the trailer that the boys and you used to camp in when on journeys back in the day. You laughed slightly as you felt yourself being lifted and let the sleep takeover you. You could’ve walked yourself but, hey, if Prompto was offering to carry you, who were you to object? Especially since you were so tired.

~

            You awoke several hours later when a light shone through the closed blinds of the trailer’s bedroom. Slightly disoriented, you immediately sat up thinking it was the sun finally rising. That thought quickly left you, however, after the light began to fade. It was just the headlights of someone’s car.

            Someone’s car? Talcott was here.

            You jumped out of bed and brushed your hair down to tame it somewhat. Slipping on your shoes, you hurriedly ran to the front door. Why were you so excited about seeing Talcott? You mean, he was honestly like another little brother to you, especially after seeing him lose his only family member – his grandfather. He looked to you as an older sister. You comforted him after his grandfather’s death and even bought him special treats around Lucis to bring to him. Alex was secretly jealous of the affection you showed Talcott, but he played it off by saying he didn’t need childish things to make him happy. They were the best of friends now, however.

            You opened the door and shifted your eyes over to Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto as they approached the truck slowly. The truck obscured your vision to see who they were talking to but Prompto looked on the verge of tears. You felt your heart drop to your stomach. What was wrong? Prompto rarely cried. Why was he upset? Is Talcott okay? He had to be, his truck was here. Besides, Gladio and Ignis had smiles on their face. Who else was here?

            Carefully, you stepped away from the trailer and approached the boys.

            “It’s you! It’s really you!” You heard Prompto say.

            You stood on the other side of the truck as you peeped over it. Immediately, you felt your knees almost give out. You had to hold onto the truck for support as you stared at the person who your friends surrounded. There he was. The raven-haired boy – now man – you had fallen in love with so many years ago. He was slightly taller and his features had matured. From the distance, you could see a small beard had grown and his once unruly hair was now slightly tamed. Holding onto the truck to help keep your balance, you walked around the truck to reveal yourself to the man. Your eyes widened as he glanced over from the boys and to you. Letting go of the truck, you walked over to the man who just stood frozen in place. Prompto and the others backed away slightly to give you guys room. As you approached him, you reached your hand out to caress his cheek to see if he was real. His breath hitched from your touch as you trailed your fingers down his face then back to his hair. Carefully, you reached to brush his hair behind his ear but his hand immediately caught your wrist, preventing you from completing the act. You let out a gasp and your knees finally gave out, causing you to fall to the ground and bringing him with you.

            “Noctis!” You cried out as you broke your wrist free from his grip and threw yourself onto him, causing him to stumble back slightly before regaining his balance. He quickly wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer to him as you bawled into his shoulder. It was Noctis. It was really _your_ Noctis. He was here. Alive and well. At least you hoped he was well. He was alive though, and you were in his arms once again. Something you thought you’d never experience again. Something you refused to share with someone else. He just held onto you, gently smoothing your hair down to calm you, as you cried.

            “I’m sorry,” He apologized as he tried to soothe you. You pulled yourself away from him and stared into his sapphire eyes. Feeling a mixture of sadness and anger boiling in you, you began to hit him with your fist in his chest as tears poured out.

            “How.” Hit. “Could.” Hit. “You.” Hit. “Leave.” Hit. “Me?”

            With the final hit, you let your arm slid down his chest. He took every hit you gave him with a flinch and just pulled you back to him.

            “I’m sorry…” Was all he said as you gripped onto him. You didn’t want to let go in fear of this being all a dream and him disappearing again. Ten years. For ten years, you’ve been broken on the inside with only one way to fix it. Now, that person was here and you’d be damned if you let him go again.

~

            _“Noct isn’t eating his vegetables again,” A 16-year-old you smirked at the prince as you sat across from him at the dining table in his apartment. He responded to your snitching by kicking you under the table – at least he thought it was you_

_“Ow, why’d you do that for?!” Prompto exclaimed as he dropped his fork to attend to his now aching shin._

_“Prince Noctis,” Ignis frowned as he looked from his own dinner plate to glare at the prince. “No dessert if you do not finish your broccoli.”_

_You just grinned devilishly as you stuffed a piece of the green vegetable in your mouth. Prompto was still rubbing his shin as Noctis glared at you._

_“C’mon Specs, give me a break!” Noctis groaned as he pushed the plate that only had broccoli left on it away from him. Being the asshole you were, you slid it back to him just to irritate the prince even more._

_“No broccoli means no dessert. You know the rules.”_

_“You’re not even that much older than me, why must you order me around?” Noctis complained. Ignis stood up from his seat to gather your and Prompto’s empty plates._

_“As your adviser, I must make sure you are well,” Was all he said._

_“I ate all of my vegetables, do I get dessert, Iggy?” You smiled innocently at the 18-year-old adviser. He just nodded at you. You turned your attention back to Noctis, the grin reappearing on your face. He just deeply frowned at you._

_“Uh… I’m not in this,” Prompto said as he quickly got up from the table to assist Ignis._

_“Why are we friends?” Noctis snarled at you._

_“You secretly love me,” You shrugged as you reached over for the prince’s plate. “And because I know for a fact you love me, I’ll be the nicest best friend ever and help you out.”_

_Noctis arched a brow at you as you glanced over at Ignis and Prompto in the kitchen to make sure they didn’t see what you were about to do. Well, you could care less if Prompto saw. It was Ignis you had to keep a lookout for. Quickly, you stuffed down the prince’s vegetables and pushed the now cleared plate back in front of him. You swallowed quickly as Ignis turned around to see if Noctis finished his vegetables._

_“Good job, Your Highness, it looks like you’ll get dessert after all,” Ignis smirked as he pushed up his glasses._

_Noctis nodded slightly at him before turning his attention back to you who was now talking to Prompto from across the room about a game of Mario Kart. You brushed some of your hair from your face to behind your ear as you nodded your head to agree to something Prompto said. Feeling someone staring at you, you turned back to face Noctis who’s cheeks turned red from getting caught staring._

_“What are you looking at, weirdo?” You frowned as you reached over to brush his hair out of his eyes. He just responded by swatting your hand away, causing you to laugh._

_~_

_I didn’t know the time I had with my king was limited…_

Everyone sat around the campfire quietly as you ate the meal Ignis prepared for everyone. You sat beside Noctis, refusing to leave his side. Your one day stay in Lestallum ended up being a week as you learned you had to complete one last mission with your best friends, perhaps, the most important mission of all – restoring the daylight. Your eyes shifted to your boyfriend’s plate as he used his fork to circle his vegetables around. Even at 30-years-old, he still hated vegetables. You nudged him in his arm and he quickly looked over to you. You nodded your head towards his plate of vegetables and he just shook his head at you.

“Noctis, I do hope you plan on eating your vegetables for once,” Ignis said. Even though he was blind, he knew the King all too well. As he said this, you quietly took the plate from Noctis’s hands. Gladio and Prompto just shook their heads at you two. “And Ms. Y/N, I hope you do not plan on eating his vegetables for him.”

“Damn, you’re good,” You sighed as you handed the plate back to Noctis. “Sorry, babe, you’re out of luck tonight.”

The silence returned after the commotion and you couldn’t help but feel something was off. The four boys had a solemn look on their faces and you felt as if they all knew something you were unaware of.

“So I…” Noctis spoke to break the awkward silence that had arisen. He didn’t say much after, leaving everyone anticipating what he was going to say next.

“Out with it,” Gladio spoke up. You watched as Noctis balled his fist and whisper about wondering why saying what he had to say was so difficult for him to do.

“So I…” Noctis looked up at you all. “I’ve made my peace. Still, knowing this is it and seeing you here now…”

You looked at the other boys as he said this. What was he talking about? Prompto dropped his head as you saw a tear fall from his eye. Gladio and Ignis looked quite uncomfortable with the conversation. You wanted to ask what everyone was depressed about but you’d figure you’d ask later. The tension in the air was too thick for you to ask questions right now.

“It’s… more than I can take.” You looked over to Noctis who now had a tear stroll down his cheek. Something was wrong. They weren’t telling you something. You had a gut feeling that you wouldn’t like to know what was going on, either. He dropped his head and you instinctively placed a hand over his. He responded by undoing his fist and holding onto your hand tightly.

“Yeah…” You heard Prompto say. You looked over to him but was distracted when you saw Gladio shed a tear. Gladio almost never cried. “You’re damn right it is…”

“Huh, you spit it out…” Gladio said as he looked up into the night sky.

Ignis let out a heavy sigh. “It’s good to hear…”

“Y/N…” Noctis suddenly said, turning his attention to you. Tears hovered in his eyes and you felt butterflies in your stomach. Not the butterflies you felt when he kissed you or when he told you he loved you – but the butterflies you felt when something was terribly wrong. “Can we talk… alone?”

You nodded your head slowly as you both rose from the chair and walked away from the group, your hand never leaving his.

~

            _“What’s going on?” You looked between Prompto and Noctis as they gave you a saddened look. Why were you always the one who found out last about things that were going on? Then again, did you want to know? Whatever it was obviously wasn’t a good thing since both boys’ usual happy disposition were completely gone._

_“It’s your news to tell, Noct,” Prompto said as he looked down at the floor._

_Noctis let out a sigh before running a hand through his hair. He looked up at you and held his hand out for you to take. You eyed it carefully before hesitantly taking the hand of the 20-year old prince. He walked you over to a bench that no one was near in the park where you guys were. As he walked you, you noticed his hand never left yours which made your heart beat a thousand times faster, still, it felt something was off. He carefully sat you down on the bench._

_“Um… is everything okay?”_

_“It depends on how you look at the situation…” Noctis sighed. He unconsciously fiddled with your hand. You took notice of it but didn’t say anything. It didn’t mean anything. Something was just really bothering the prince._

_“What is it?” You asked._

_“Well… uh… I’m… getting married,” At his words you immediately snatched your hand away from his and stood up._

_“Getting married?!” You asked with a bewildered face. He just nodded his head._

_“What? When? How? To who?!” You asked as you paced back and forth in front of the boy who hung his head. You felt sick to your stomach. You knew you never had a chance with a future king, but still, hearing he’s getting married so soon broke your heart. It was torture._

_“Next month… to Luna…”_

_Luna… just hearing him refer to her by her nickname angered you but you only wanted to cry. Lunafreya, the woman he’s been friends with since his childhood. You knew he loved her, yet, here he was depressed over the situation. Not wanting to show your true feelings for the prince, you stopped in front of him as he looked up at you._

_“Why aren’t you happy about this? It’s Lady Lunafreya! Aren’t you guys’ secret lovers or something?” You tried to joke with him. He didn’t respond to the joke._

_“I feel like I’m being forced to marry her…”_

_“I mean…” You sighed as you took a seat beside him. “It could be worse… it could’ve been me.”_

_Again, you didn’t get a response and just heard him let out a heavy sigh. He seriously didn’t want to marry the oracle. You tuned him out as you let your own thoughts overtake you. The love of your life was getting married. You would have to see him rule the kingdom with another woman. You never pictured Noctis getting married or ruling with a partner by his side, but, he was a king to be and expected to produce an heir. It was bound to happen. It was just you didn’t expect it to happen so soon at the age of 20. While in your thoughts, you didn’t hear Noctis mumble under his breath:_

_“I’d rather it be you…”_

_~_

            Noctis led you some ways away from the campsite but not too far away that the daemons could get you. He stood in front of you, his hand fiddling with yours. Something was definitely wrong.

            “What’s going on, Noctis? What was all that back there?” You asked. The butterflies in your stomach intensified as he looked up at you with tear-filled eyes. Your heart shattered at the sight.

            “Y/N, my love, my queen…” He said as he used his free hand to caress your face. You didn’t respond to the touch as you knew whatever he would say next could possibly break you. “Do you miss the sunlight?”

            The question took you off guard as you blinked at him. “I mean, yeah… of course I do…”

            He let out a heavy sigh as he let his hand fall from your face and the other let go of your hand. “I wanted to give you the world. I wanted to make you happy, to see your smiling face every day and hear your beautiful laugh. I wanted to eventually marry you and officially make you the Queen of Lucis. I wanted to start a family with you and raise our kids together – to grow old together…”

            You gently took both his hands in yours. “We can still do that, Noct.”

            “Unfortunately…” A tear fell. “That’d be quite selfish of me to do all of that…”

            “What do you mean?” You asked as he removed his hands from your grasp.

            “I have to bring back the daylight… I have to fulfill my duty as the chosen king…”

            “Of course, that’s why we’re going to defeat Ardyn. How does that stop us from spending out future together?” You asked.

            Another sigh escaped his lips. “I… I have to die to restore order to the world…”

            A ringing noise immediately filled your ears as you stared at him. He avoided looking into your eyes. Die? He had to die? Why?

            “D-die?” You stuttered. “W-why? Why do you have to die?”

            “It’s the Chosen King’s calling…”

            “No…” Tears began to pour from your eyes as you grabbed his hand. “You don’t have to die! There has to be a way around this!”

            Noctis sadly shook his head as he tightened the grip on your hand. “I’m afraid there’s not.”

            “There has to be,” You snatched your hand back from him. “You’re not going to die. You’re not going to leave me again! I would rather live in darkness for the rest of my life than lose you again!”

            “That’s selfish thoughts. As king… I cannot allow my people to continue to suffer…”

            “Be selfish! For once! Please,” You begged as you got on your knees. “Your highness… please…”

            Noctis finally let his tears flow freely as he fell to his knees, too, and held you. “I’m sorry…”

            You cried into his chest as he held you tightly, tears also streaming down his face.

~

_Every day I relive that day…_

“Shit shit shit,” You said as you tried to run from the God, Ifrit, who was throwing fireballs in your direction. Cartwheeling out of the way and trying to avoid his attacks, you didn’t notice the God preparing a fireball that, if hit, would kill you instantly. Your eyes widened as you saw him hurl it directly in your direction. You had pissed the God off when you shot him with a bullet covered in ice. It extinguished his fire temporarily and suddenly you were his next target besides the other boys. As the ball of fire came soaring towards you, you didn’t notice a hand wrap around your waist and suddenly you felt disconnected from your body only to feel like you were floating in midair seconds later.

            You looked over to Noctis who held onto you tightly, hanging on to his sword with his other hand. Looking down, you noticed he warped you to the top of the Citadel. Instantly, you felt panic set into you.

            “Are you okay?”

            “Holy shit, we’re so high up,” You said more to yourself than him as you gripped onto him.

            “Hey, hey, what did I say ten years ago when we were in this same position?”

            “We’re going to fucking die,” You said as you stared at the ground below you. Ifrit looked like an ant from the distance. Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio were practically nonexistent. Your eyes widened as you saw Ifrit preparing another fireball and seemingly aiming it towards you.

            “We’re fucking dead!” You screamed as Ifrit released the ball in your direction.

            “Trust me,” Was all Noctis said. Suddenly you were freefalling downwards towards the graveled driveway where Ifrit and the others were. You screamed as you fell towards your impending death. A bright light went off above you but you were too focused on falling to see what it was. Right before you felt the impact of the ground, you felt yourself be warped safely to the ground, only stumbling slightly from the impact.

            “I told you I’d never let you fall,” Noctis said as he warped towards Ifrit. Slightly dazed and scarred from the near-death experience, you wobbled slightly as you summoned your guns again.

            “Get yourself together, kid,” Gladio yelled as he ran past you to assist the others in defeating Ifrit. Shaking your head to bring you back to your senses, you followed behind Gladio to the God.

~

            The five of you stood outside the door that led to the throne room. You inhaled a shaky breath as Noctis and the others stared at the door. Who knows what would beyond the door. Would Ardyn be ready to attack immediately or would he even be in there? What if this was another setup?

            “Well, shall we, Noct?” Ignis asked.

            “Uh… yeah, hang on a sec,” Noctis said as he turned around to face the group. “Prompto, can I see your photos?”

            Taken aback from the sudden question, Prompto nodded his head as he took out all the pictures he took while on your journey.

            “I just need one… to take with me…” As he said this you turned around and bit your lip to stop the tears from falling. You had promised yourself on the ride to Insomnia that you wouldn’t cry again. You wouldn’t let Noctis see you cry. Gladio glanced over at you struggling to hold back your tears and pulled you behind him.

            “If you’re going to cry, do so quickly and quietly. I’ll shield you from him…”

            “I’m fine…” You gulped to swallow down the emotions that threatened to pour out of you.

            “That’s the one? No backsies?” Prompto asked as Noctis smiled gently at the picture.

            “Yeah…”

            “Alright, then shall we?” Ignis asked again. Gladio glanced back at you to see if you were okay. You nodded your head at him as you stepped from behind him.

            “Y/N?” Noctis looked back at you.

            “Y-yes?” You stuttered.

            “Walk beside me. A king can’t enter his throne room without his queen beside him, right?” He asked. You blushed slightly as you hastily walked over beside him. He nodded at you and stood up tall, just as a king would. Clearing your throat, you also stood up tall and shot a side glance at Noctis. He smiled slightly at you before pushing the doors open to the throne room, you two walking in side by side. The smiles on your faces instantly fell at the sight of Ardyn upon the throne and the dead bodies that hung from the ceiling.

            “W-what is that?” Prompto said in shock.

            “Mom!” You looked at the decaying body of your mother as she hung beside Lunafreya. She wore her hospital uniform which consisted of black slacks, a purple knit top, and her doctor’s coat over it. The white coat was covered in dried blood in the spots that she was shot in. Her left arm, the right of her chest, and the one that got to you the most, the one beside her head- dried blood covering her pale face

            “Ah, I hope you liked my surprise, dearest Y/N. I just couldn’t seem to let go of that incident between us back in Altissia. So, I thought, hey, why not?” Ardyn laughed at your face. You shook violently at the sight of your mom and it took every inch of you not to run and put an end to Ardyn yourself, but, you knew you couldn’t. It was Noctis’s duty to destroy him. You felt Noctis place a hand on your shoulder to push you back slightly as he stepped forward. Prompto quickly came to your side and pulled you into him.

“As for you, Noctis, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. The throne only seats one,” Ardyn chuckled as he sat further back in the red cushioned chair.

            “Off my chair, jester, the king sits there,” Noctis responded to the man.

            “How long I’ve waited for this. Tonight, the royals’ blood comes to an end,” Ardyn smiled mischievously as he sat his foot on the throne.

            “Ardyn sits the throne?” Ignis asked.

            “Not for long. This is my ascension.”

            You watched in fear as Ardyn summoned a purple ball and threw it at you guys. It quickly engulfed your neck and you felt all breath leave your body. You desperately scratched your neck to get whatever had a grip on it off but it was no use. Noctis ran over to you as you collapsed to ground. You couldn’t move or open your eyes but you could still hear what was going on between Ardyn and Noctis.

            “What the hell did you do?!” Noctis screamed to Ardyn as he attempted to sit you up – wake you up. You were like deadweight in his arms.

            “They have no place in this, the battle of kings!” Ardyn replied. “Come, Noctis!”

            Noctis glanced at you one more time before placing a kiss to your temple and setting you down gently on the floor. Clenching his teeth, he made his way towards Ardyn for one final battle.

~

            “So… this is farewell?” Ignis said as you four watch Noctis stand in front of the steps to the Citadel. You stared at Noctis with tears streaming down your face as he avoided looking at you.   

            “No turning back now…” Prompto said as he sucked in a breath to prevent him from crying. Noctis only nodded at him before turning around to begin his ascend up the stairs. Shaking your head, you immediately dashed towards the king and crashed into his back, your arms circling his waist. He stumbled forward a bit before stopping in his tracks.

            “Please don’t go, Noctis. Please. Please, I love you, please, don’t leave me again. You can’t die!” You cried into his back. The rain that poured down could only be heard mixed in with your sobs. Ten years separated from him just to lose him again. For good.

            “Y/N…” He grabbed your arms to loosen them as he turned around so you were hugging the front of him. He lifted your face with his hands and searched through your eyes. All he could see was heartache, pain, and a desperateness that begged him not to go. He wiped your tears away from your eyes and leaned down to kiss you. You immediately closed your eyes, wanting the moment to last forever but it ended within seconds as he broke apart from you. He removed your arms from him but you gripped onto him tighter.

            “Y/N… please…” Noctis said, his voice finally cracking. He was going to cry at any second if you didn’t let go.

            “I can’t leave you. You can’t leave me. I promised… so many people… I promised to stay with you forever. To look after you. To love you…” You cried out as you held him. Noctis let out a shaky breath as he turned to the guys for help. Gladio nodded his head as he walked towards you two and tapped your arm. “I’m not letting him go!”

            “C’mon,” Gladio said as he forcefully but gently removed you from Noctis. You let out an ear-piercing scream as he tore you away from Noctis. You kicked hard to try to get him to let go of you but Gladio was too strong.

            “Prompto… Gladio… Ignis, I leave it to you…” Noctis said. You sobbed and shook violently as Gladio held onto you. The strength to fight him left your body and all you could do was watch Noctis say his farewell.

            “Y/N…” He said your name in a strict voice that caused you to snap your head up to him. “You fulfilled your duty my father bestowed upon you so long ago. You’ve looked after me well. Please don’t worry anymore, my love.”

            “I trust in you guys to take care of her,” Noctis nodded his head to the boys.

            “Of course, she’s my best friend,” Prompto said as he looked over to you.

            “This is my last request as the final king…” Noctis said as he stood up tall. “Walk tall… my friends.”

            With that he turned around as finished going up the stairs. You yelled his name repeatedly as you tried to escape Gladio’s grasp. Ignis suddenly turned around as he sensed trouble behind him.

            “Y/N, come to your senses. We must defend Noctis until it’s time.” Prompto said as he summoned his guns and turned to prepare to battle the daemons that appeared behind you guys. Gladio sat you down as he summoned his sword. Hesitantly, you took one finally glance at Noctis before turning around to face the daemons. You looked down at the guns in your hands and contemplated taking your life then and there. Noctis would be gone and without him around, you’d never experience happiness again. But maybe a miracle would happen. Maybe the Gods and the past kings of Lucis will let him off and let him live. How could they condone the death of their descendent? How could King Regis condone the death of his son? Having this mindset, you wiped the tears that fell from your face with the back of your wet sleeve and glanced up at the daemons.

            “Let’s do this…” You whispered as you immediately leaped into action against the daemons.

~

            A bright light illuminated from the Citadel as you and the guys finished off the last of the daemons. It blinded you as you tried quickly to cover your eyes. After confirming it was safe to uncover your eyes, you gasped at the sight above you. Sunrise. The sun was rising. Pink and orange hues began to fill the sky as the rain stopped and the sun began to rise beyond the walls of Insomnia. You heard the screams of the dying daemons from around as the light burned them alive. It was over. The starscourge was over. He did it. He saved the world.

            Noctis…

            Immediately dropping your guns, you ran in the direction towards the Citadel, the boys screaming for you to come back and running after you. However, you were far too ahead of them as you reached the doors and quickly boarded the elevator. Noctis had to still be alive. He wasn’t dead. He was alive. He would be sitting in the throne that finally belonged to him and he’d smirk at you as you threw open the doors.

            “Y/N wait!” Prompto said as he was the closest to reaching the elevator. He was able to get in with you just before the doors closed. “What the hell are you doing?”

            “He’s not dead, Prompto, he can’t be. He’s alive. He’s waiting for us. You’ll see,” You said as you tapped your foot anxiously against the elevator floor.

            “Y/N… he’s gone…”

            “Stop saying that! He’s not gone!” You yelled at the blond boy. He let out a heavy sigh as he knew what was going to happen. You would have to see with your own eyes that Noctis was gone before you believed him or anyone else. As the elevators opened to the room that led to the throne room, you instantly ran and threw open the doors, Prompto treading his feet behind you.

            The smirking king you expected to be seated on the throne was there but the smirk wasn’t. Your eyes looked on in horror as Noctis sat in the throne, slumped over with a sword sticking out of his chest.

            “Noct…” Prompto whispered out as he caught up to you and saw his deceased best friend on the throne. You slowly walked towards the stairs that led to the throne but Prompto pulled your arm back. You immediately shook his grip off as you approached the stairs.

            “He’s not gone…” You said in a daze as you climbed the stairs. The other two men finally arrived but stopped as they saw you approaching Noctis’s body. Prompto held his hand out in front of Gladio so he wouldn’t drag you back down.

            “She has to confirm things for herself…” Prompto said as he watched you finally reach the top of the stairs.

            You looked down at the body of Noctis and trailed your hand across his freezing hand. Your eyes glanced towards the sword that stuck in his body and you shakily reached towards it where warm blood still trailed out of the wound. Bringing your now bloodied hand back, you stared at it in disbelief.

            “Noctis… wake up,” You finally spoke as you crouched down before him. Warm tears were quickly filling your eyes as you continued to inspect his body. “Wake up…”

            You reached towards his hair and brushed his hair back, hoping he’d snatch your hand and stop you. When he didn’t do it, you kept brushing his hair out of his face. “Wake up!”

            His hair kept falling back in place as you desperately kept moving it, the movement getting rougher the more it fell back – the more you realize he wasn’t stopping you.

            “You fucking idiot,” You screamed as you gave up and hit him in his arm. Nothing. He didn’t flinch or react. “You said you’d always come back to me! You lied to me! How could you leave me? You said you’d come back!”

            Breaking down finally, you gave up hitting him and fell onto his body, sobbing uncontrollably. Prompto slowly approached you and rested a hand on your back.

            “I’m sorry…” Prompto said as he took a good look at his best friend’s body. He felt tears welling up and quickly sniffed them away but failed. You sat up slightly with a quivering lip. Immediately you wrapped your arms around Prompto and hugged him tight as he finally let go and cried along with you.

            Your best friend of 16 years was dead. Your first crush of two years was dead. Your boyfriend of 10 years was dead. The king of your country was dead.

~

            “Wow…” Your 19-year-old niece, Ira, said as you finished the story of how you knew – and loved – the last king of Lucis. Your niece, nephew, and godchild sat around you at your kitchen table at your home in the recently restored Insomnia. For years, your younger family members begged you to tell your story of how you knew the famous king they all learned about in school history classes. Though he was gone and Lucis no longer had a ruler, his presence was still strong. They’d heard stories of how their parents knew the king but you always refused, saying how they were too young to know it. You knew their parents gave them the watered-down, kid-friendly version of their time with the king, but you couldn’t give that to them. They had to know the truth.

            “Such a romantic but sad story. You could’ve been a queen, Aunt Y/N,” Your 16-year-old nephew, Xander, stared at you in awe. “We could’ve had royalty in our family!”

            “Um, have you forgotten mom and Uncle Gladdy and our grandfather literally served for the king?’ Ira rolled her eyes at her younger brother.

            “Okay but that’s on mom’s side! We could’ve had an _aunt_ as a _queen_ on dad’s side!”

            “My parents are just ole’ country folk. Well, ma is anyway,” Heather, Cindy and Prompto’s 17-year-old daughter stated.

            You chuckled slightly but was interrupted by a sudden cough. Ira quickly handed you your water as you took a sip from it.

            “Aunt Y/N, you should really get that cough checked,” Ira worriedly said. She was studying to be a doctor just like her grandmother – your mom.

            “I’m fine,” You smiled gently at your niece.

            “You’re so lucky. Noctis was so attractive. Everyone at school thinks he was the most attractive guy ever,” Heather sighed dreamily while Xander rolled his eyes at her. He had so many features of Alex that it was no doubt that he was his son.

            “King Noctis was more than just looks, he saved the world. Without his sacrifice, we wouldn’t even be here,” Xander said. Heather just glared at him.

            “I bet Noctis looks after you from the afterlife. He sounded like he really loved you…” Ira smiled at you. You just nodded your head at her.

            “I like to believe he’s watching me from above…”

            “Well, I’ve had enough of this for one night. C’mon, guys, let’s go home,” Xander said as he excused himself from the table.

            “You’re right, it’s late. I’ll give you a ride home, Heather,” Ira said as she grabbed her keys and walked over to you and kissed your cheek. “See you tomorrow, Aunt Y/N. Thanks for the story. Don’t forget to take your meds.”

            “Yes mom,” You playfully rolled your eyes at the girl who strongly resembled Iris. They all waved to you bye as they exited your apartment. Letting out a heavy sigh, you groaned as you stood from the table to fetch a glass of water. You were only 53 but you felt older because of the unknown illness you’ve had for a couple of years now. Doctor couldn’t figure it out and just gave you meds that they thought would work. Ira was working hard in college to find the direct reason for your sickness and how to cure it. After getting your water, you made your way to your bedroom to prepare for bed.

            The apartment you lived in was that of Noctis’s. After Insomnia was restored, you learned that the building complex that held Noctis’s apartment was still intact. The city wanted to turn it into a museum like they had done the Citadel but you ultimately refused. You held the rights as to whatever Noctis left behind since everyone declared you as the unofficial Queen of Lucis. However, you didn’t live the lifestyle of a queen. You wanted to keep a low profile and live life as normally as you could. You never dated or had any children. Iris and Alex’s kids were the closest things you had to kids along with Prompto and Cindy’s daughter.

            Sighing, you climbed into the bed that you once shared with Noctis and Prompto as a teenager when you guys had sleepovers. The closet that held Noctis’s clothes remained there as you refused to get rid of them. His scent left the clothing years ago but you kept them because your beloved once wore those clothes. Yawning, you slowly let sleep overtake you, however, little did you know that would be your last time sleeping in that bed.

~

            “My darling, are you ready?” The voice of your dad filled your ears. You fluttered your eyes open as you noticed you were in the backseat of a car that resembled the one he had dropped you off in at your graduation party. This was a dream, you concluded. Another dream where you traveled back in time to a you in happier moment in life. The dream would switch over if you didn’t react to your surroundings so you just sat back further in the car seat, ignoring your dad.

            “Y/N, can you hear me?” Again, you ignored his voice. Any moment now and you’d wake up in a cold sweat. The man who resembled your dad turned around and arched a brow at you. “You’re going to be late…”

            Late? That was something new to the dream and the fact you could clearly see your dad’s face. Light suddenly shone in the vehicle as you glanced out the window and noticed crowds of people cheering and applauding from outside your car. Looking out the other window, you noticed you were in front of the citadel.

            “What…?” You asked confusedly as you finally looked back to your dad.

            “Go on, honey. You’ll be late,” He said. Deciding to go along with the dream, you nodded and opened the car door and found yourself stepping out in heels. This was a dream of dreams as you haven’t worn heels in years. You looked down and saw golden heels that wrapped up your calf accompanied your feet. Glancing back up, a guard held his hand out to you and you took it as he led you up the steps to the citadel. Classical music played around the room as more people bustled around the busy lobby but all stopped to stare at you. Just as you were about to question them, you felt a hand on your shoulder. Turning towards the hand that felt all too real, you gasped as you saw your mother. She smiled at you.

            “Y/N, you’ve finally arrived. We’ve waited so long! My, you look beautiful…” She said while you gave her a confused look. They waited? Why were they waiting for you if this was just a dream? “I told you back then that your time hadn’t come yet.”

            Back then? Suddenly you gasped as you looked over at the mirror that was to the left of you. A 30-year-old you shown back in the reflection. You were wearing a similar dress you wore to the graduation party but instead of it being black and floor-length, it was a beautiful ivory with the bottom flourishing out around your knees to show off your shoes. A long train that you hadn’t noticed before stood behind it. The sleeves and upper part were made of lacey material and gold accents sparkled throughout it. Your hair was put up into a messy but elegant bun, with a few strands hanging in your face.

            “What’s going on?” You turned back to your mother. “Why am I here? Why are you here? Why am I 30 again?”

            “Because…” You head the sound of Lunafreya’s voice as she appeared. “You lived as an empty shell up until your death. Everything about you technically died at age 30…”

            “Lunafreya?” You gasped as she noticed she was in her wedding dress that you remember being displayed in Altissia. Wait… did she said you were dead. “I’m dead?”

            “I’m afraid so…” Luna smiled sadly at you.

            “We waited so long for you to come join us,” Your mother said. You shook your head as you tried to walk out of the citadel but Luna and your mom quickly rushed over to you. The crowds of people looked at you confusedly as you tried to leave.

            “I’m not dead. This isn’t real. I’m in my bed asleep. I’m a 53-year-old woman. I just sent my niece, nephew, and godchild home! I’m not dead!” You shouted in disbelief.

            “My child…” Another voice was heard from the distant. Immediately everyone in the room stopped talking and turned to face the sound of the voice. You looked over and saw King Regis walking towards you, everyone in his way making space for him to walk.

            “King… Regis?”

            “Yes, I’ve been waiting to thank you for looking after my son on his journey. I truly appreciate it. You worked hard…” He grabbed your right and placed a kiss on it, his beard tickling your skin. Everything felt so real.

            “This is unreal. I’m asleep!” You said as you took your hand back.

            “I’m afraid you are not… this is your life now. In the afterlife with us…” Luna said again as she took your hand and began to lead you somewhere. “Now come, he’s been waiting for you.”

            “He…?” You asked as you looked back towards your mom and the late king. He smiled at you while your mom just mouthed, “go on.”

            “Why are you in your wedding dress… did you…?” You asked hesitantly as she led you to the elevators that led to the throne room.

            “Ah, no, of course not. As a maid of honor, I had to find something to wear, didn’t I? Besides, I always wanted to wear this but never got the chance…” She smiled as the elevatored dinged to alert you guys were at your destined floor. She led you off the elevator and towards the throne doors. “Now… your king awaits you.”

            You looked over to her and at the doors. This could still be a dream – a nightmare even. What if when you opened the doors, you’d see the image of Noctis dead again. How would you deal with that?

            “We promised to be friends in the afterlife, right? Well, as your friend, know I would never bring you any harm,” Luna pushed you slightly towards the door. “Don’t keep him waiting any longer.”

            You just nodded your head as you took in a deep breath and opened the doors to the throne room. Inside, the sun shined brightly through the stained-glass windows and pink rose petals fluttered around the room and on the red carpet that led to the throne. Your breath hitched as your eyes finally looked up to the throne. There sat Noctis in a pinstriped suit and white gloves covered his hands. He sat with his leg over the other and rested his head on a fist. A crown sat on his head and his eyes were closed. He looked so peaceful. Quietly, you made your way towards him and up the stairs to the throne. On his left sat another grand chair and a feminine crown rested in it. As you approached him, you noticed his face was cleanly shaved and he resembled the 30-year-old him. Carefully, you placed your hand on his cheek and felt the smoothness of his skin. His eyes stayed closed from your touch. You carefully traced his facial features from his lips, nose, and eyebrows as you admired him. Finally, you lifted your hand to his hair that hung in his eyes because of his crown. Gently, you began to brush it out of his face but paused instantly when a white gloved hand stopped you.

            “You’re late,” His sapphire eyes finally opened and looked at you. Tears filled your eyes as he spoke to you and pulled you to the other side of him, towards the chair. “Don’t you think you’ve cried enough in your lifetime? No more tears, here, please.”

            You just nodded as you sat in the chair beside his throne, careful not to sit on the crown behind you.

            “Even though the dress is slightly different, you still look beautiful in it as you did when we were 18…” He said as he let go of your hand and sat up properly.

            “Am I dreaming?” You asked suddenly.

            “Afraid not,” Noctis said.

            “You’re real?”

            “As real as I can be here in the afterlife… again, it took you long enough,” He playfully smirked at you.

            “Why am I here…?”

            “Well you’re dead,” You hit his arm in response to your question. Quickly realizing what you did, you apologized immediately. Noctis just chuckled as he removed his gloves. He gently took your left hand and slid on a diamond wedding ring that resembled the crystal that chose him.

            “What’s this?”

            “I believe you said you wanted to become my official queen one day, right? Well, I’m here to make that happen, Mrs. Noctis Lucis Caelum,” He smirked at you. You blink confusedly at him before eyeing the ring on your finger. Without noticing, Noctis reached behind you and grabbed the crown before placing it on your head. You reached your hands up to it to touch it and looked back to Noctis.

            “I’m a queen…?”

            “Not yet,” He said as he leaned in towards you. “Don’t all weddings have to have things sealed with a kiss?”

            Your face flushed as he smiled at you as he brought his lips to yours for a gentle kiss. He pulled back slightly and watch you relish in the moment before slowly opening your eyes. This was real. Noctis was real. That kiss was real. Suddenly you felt the same feeling you felt back then when he first kissed you on the boat to Altissia.

            “Wait,” You said as you pulled him back to you and placed your lips on his again. He deepened the kiss while pulling you in closer to him. After a while, you broke away to regain your breath. A comfortable silence fell between you two before the door to the throne room opened slightly to reveal Lunafreya.

            “Can the wedding party start now?” She asked as she grinned at the two of you. The sight of you wearing the official crown of the queen caused her to wink at you. Noctis nodded his head as Luna turned back towards the door and let in the crowds of people who had been waiting inside and outside the Citadel and music began playing above. You stared in awe at the festivities that went on below you. Not noticing Noctis grabbing your hand and placing something in it, you jumped when you felt the photo in your hand. Looking from him and down at the picture, you saw it was a photo of a 20-year-old Prompto, you, and Noctis. It was the day before you left for Altissia and you three stood in front of the Citadel, posing. Prompto and Noctis held you up as you held onto them, smiling. You looked back to Noctis after admiring the photo.

            “Is this the one you took with you?” You asked.

            “Well, I wanted the one where I first realized I loved you but someone already had that one,” He playfully frowned at you. You just stuck out your tongue and rested your head on the arm rest of his chair. He smiled gently down at you as he went back to resting his head on his fist.

            “I love you, Noctis Lucis Caelum.”

            “I love you, too, Y/N Lucis Caelum.”

~

            You blinked as you continued to stare in Noctis’s blue ones. What was that? What did you just experience? Suddenly you were back at your high school graduation party at the Citadel and party guests were dancing around you and the crown prince. You looked past Noctis over at an 18-year-old Prompto who blushed when your eyes contacted his. His hands held his camera to reveal that he just taken a picture of Noctis and you.

            “Are you okay?” Noctis asked, still holding onto your arm. You glanced back at him. Did you… did you just see the future?

            “Y/N?” He called out to you again. You stared at him while debating if you wanted to tell him of the events that would take place two years from now but you decided against it after seeing the worry in his eyes. You didn’t want to freak the prince out at you guys’ party. Instead you smiled and placed a hand on his cheek, causing his entire face to turn red.

            “Everything is perfect and everything will be perfect. Our story is just beginning… but don’t let the middle upset you as the end is sure to have a happy one, my king,” You said, confusing the boy even more. As you finished your sentence, a guest bumped into Noctis, causing him to step onto your dress. A wide grin suddenly appeared on your face as Noctis confused face suddenly became the look of horror.

            “Well look who owes Prompty a dance!”

 

The End


End file.
